..'-* 


fC 


1 L 


/\i  r^     r^^  '-^ »    f'jiS 


53 


c^-^f=tr"-trni77i=^ 


P' 


-t^  \J,-t.<i'~ 


^. 


For  the  Benefit  of  the  Poor, 

1  hurfday,   December  io,   i  753.  \ 

At  tlic  New  Theatre  in  >iaJ[dihStreet. 

Thii  Fvening,    viU  be  prefented, 
,'     -^  ibc  laji  lime  of  ftrforming  till  ibt  Hdidayi,) 

A    COMEDY,    called, 

LOVE   for  LOVE: 


■SitKdil, 

Bn  Xt*  Sailor,) 


bjr  Mr.  M^tlone, 

br  Mr.  Rigby. 

by  Mr.  BcO. 

t^  Mr.  .Singleton. 

bf  Mr.  Hillam. 

bjr  Mr.  CUrkibo. 

■hf  Mn  MUfcr. 

bf  Mr.  Adcoclc. 


yl'lili".  bf    M(|.  lUUm. 

:^'v,^#— — ^Hfiffi, 

M./i  Pni,  .   .V  by    KK6  'H»1Um. 

-Vio-A  ■   .ft^    '.     *  'Bn.  CUrklw. 

End  of  "Aft  vl  Singing  i^  Mr.  Aicuk. 
End  of  Ad  j4  Singing  h^  Mr*.  Love. 
In  r\»  5c/,.  "a  Hornpipe  by  Mr  HuUtt 
End  of  AS  t^h,  a  Canrata  by  Mrs.   Lo^e. 

To  whidmffl  be  addtd,       allad  Farce,  caJIcd, 


Hob  in  rile- Well. 


Jliologxapli  oilhe  eailteslliiowjL 

AaneTicaai  Tlay  Bill. 


Our  Theatres 
To=day  and  Yesterday 


By 
RUTH  CROSBY  DIMMICK 

Pci^inning  of  the  prama  on  ^anltattau 
3lslanh  anb  the  'uTrouhlous  pays  of  ^arlu 
iHana0ers  anJi  |31aoers,  toitif  ^necbotal  ^At- 
rount  of  tlic  C5rouitlj  of  tlie  Amusement  ^(n- 
^ll5tru.  #"torics  anb  ^Jersonal  ^"kctrhes  of 
Men  mx'it  IBomen  ronnccteh  Uiitlt  ^ramoiis 
fjouscs  in  a  |Bni^onc  ^ra,  as  tttcll  as  tijc 
Present.  Jrom  1732  to  1913. 


NEW  YORK 

THE  H.  K.  FLY  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright.     19in.     by 
THE    H.     K.    FLY    COMPANY 


LIBRARV 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

I.     Early  Trials  of  the  English  Actor 9 

II.     First   Advance   Agent    12 

III.  Before  the  Revolution   17 

IV.  Actors  Becoming  Recognized  Socially   21 

V.     First   Summer   Theatre    25 

VI.     The  Beginning  of   Burlesque    31 

VII.     More  Halls  and  More  Theatres    36 

VIII.     Fourteenth  Street  Becomes   Popular    40 

IX.     Period  of  the  Civil  War  44 

X.    The  Old  Booth  Theatre   48 

XI.     Famous  Minstrel  House  53 

XII.     Present    Entertainment   Center   Established 59 

XJII.     Weber's  Music   Hall   Once  the  Imperial 63 

XIV.     Moving  Picture  Craze  Develops   66 

XV.     Another  Hammerstein  Venture   71 

XVI.     Recent  Progress   78 

XVII.     A  Review— Minstrelsy    82 

XVIII.     The  Moving  Picture  Craze    86 

XIX.     Sketch  of  Some  of  the  Newr  York  Managers 90 


Our  Theatres  To-day  and 
Yesterday 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  ENGLISH  ACTOR. 

New  York  is  to-day,  in  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  eleven, 
the  recognized  centre  of  theatrical  activities  in  America  and  has 
been  for  something  over  one  hundred  years.  Although  the  first 
theatre  to  be  erected  in  the  city  appeared  in  1750  and  perform- 
ances virere  given  here  as  early  as  1732.  it  was  not  until  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  that  New  York  took  its  place  at 
the  head  of  the  theatre  in  this  country.  Perhaps  no  other  field 
of  enterprise,  standing  for  social  good,  has  made  such  rapid  pro- 
gress in  local  history  as  has  the  theatrical  business,  and  only  a 
mental  gymnast  can  appreciatingly  comprehend  in  detail  the 
marvelous  growth  that  has  taken  place  in  the  city's  amusement 
sphere  since  the  days  when  the  only  abode  of  entertainment  was 
at  best  a  mean  wooden  structure,  and  actors  were  frequently 
compelled  to  give  performances  in  the  upper  story  of  a  building, 
often  as  not,  the  home  of  a  cheese  or  molasses  store. 

To-day  Manhattan  Island  boasts  over  forty  legitimate  theatres, 
a  full  half  dozen  first-class  vaudeville  houses,  several  burlesque 
and  variety  houses  and  more  than  four  hundred  moving  picture 
theatres,  many  of  the  last  named  offering  also  a  fair  class  of 
vaudeville. 

While  the  early  theatrical  history  of  America  was  fraught  with 
difficulties  for   the  actor,   his   path   was   smooth  compared  with 

9 


10        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

that  of  his  English  predecessor.  Although  acting  "as  a  distinct 
profession"  was  known  in  England  as  far  back  as  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  the  name  of  the  first  English  actor  is  not  known, 
neither  is  the  name  of  the  first  professional  performance,  Henry 
VII.,  employed  official  "players  of  interludes,"  and  there  is  a 
record  of  actors  receiving  pay  for  their  services  for  a  half  year 
under  his  instruction.  By  1509  acting  had  become  a  rather  ordi- 
nary, though  not  overly  respectable  occupation.  Henry  VIII., 
following  in  his  father's  footsteps,  maintained  a  set  of  "players 
of  interludes,"  and  it  was  near  the  close  of  his  reign,  in  the  year 
1543,  that  the  first  act  relative  to  regulating  the  stage  was  passed. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  English  actor  came  into 
collision  with  the  clergy,  and  in  1549  all  players  were  suppressed, 
and  for  many  years  thereafter  the  profession  was  so  persecuted 
that  much  ill  feeling  on  both  sides  was  engendered.  Until  as  late 
as  1843  the  number  of  theatres  in  London  were  strictly  limited, 
though  in  this  year  "free  trade"  in  the  drama  was  proclaimed, 
the  number  of  actors  rapidly  increased,  while  their  way  was  made 
much  easier. 

The  beginning  of  the  theatrical  profession  in  America  seems 

to  date  from   the  year   1732  when   performances   were   given   in 

New  York  City.     One  of  the  earliest  records  of  a  the- 

1732  atrical  company  in  this  country  describes  a  band  of 
players  who,  in  1749,  made  their  appearance  in  Phila- 
delphia, afterward  coming  to  New  York,  from  whence  they  visited 
Williamsburg,  Va.,  and  previous  to  this,  we  are  informed,  that  in 
1732  "Performances  were  sometimes  given  by  young  men  in  New 
York  in  a  warehouse  near  Old  Slip." 


THE  FIRST  THEATRE. 

On  March  5,  1750,  the  first  building  for  the  shelter  of  the  pro- 
fession, called  the  Nassau  Street  Theatre,  was  erected  in  Nassau 

street  between  John  street  and  Maiden  Lane,  on  a  site 
1750      formerly    occupied   by   a   small   building   known   as   the 

Rip  Van  Dam  playhouse.  The  theatre  was  opened  with 
a  performance  of  "Richard  III.,"  with  Thomas  Kean  as  the 
crooked-backed  tyrant.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  journalism  was 
in  a  primitive  state  at  this  period,  little  is  known  of  the  merits 
of  Kean  as  an  actor,  but  that  he  was  the  first  to  attempt  a  per- 
formance of  "Richard  III."  in  America  is  certain.  The  following 
advertisement  in  the  weekly  New  York  paper  undoubtedly 
marked  the  beginning  of  theatrical  advertising  in  the  metropolis: 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        11 

March  5th,  1750. 

By  His  Excellency's  Permission. 

At  the  Theatre  in  Nassau  Street  This  Evening 

Will  be  presented 
The  Historical  Tragedy  of  King   Richard  III. 

Wrotft  orriginally  by 

Shakespeare  and  altered  by  Colley  Gibber,  Esq, 

Tickets  to  be  had  of  the  printer  hereof. 

Pit  5s.,  Gallery  3s. 

To  begin  precisely  at  half  an  hour  after  six  o'clock,  and 

no  person  to  be  admitted  behind  the  scenes. 

Among  the  list  of  plays  which  Kean  produced  were  "Sir  Henry 
Wildair,"  "Beaux's  Stratagem,"  "Busybody,"  "Cato,"  "Fair  Peni- 
tent," "Amphitryon,"  "Recruiting  Officer,"  "Hob  in  the  Well," 
"Virgin  Unmasked,"  and  a  score  of  others.  Granting  that  the 
S.  R.  O.  sign  stood  in  the  doorway  of  the  Nassau  Street  Theatre 
while  Kean  was  playing  there,  the  house  would  net  at  one  per- 
formance but  $126.75,  figuring  ten  boxes  at  5  shillings,  which 
would  equal  $5.25,  the  pit,  seating  161  persons  at  4  shillings  each, 
equalling  $90.50,  and  the  gallery,  seating  242,  at  2  shillings  each, 
equal  to  $30. 

In  1758  the  Nassau  Street  Theatre  was  converted  into  a  church 
by  German  Calvinists,  and  some  seven  years  later  torn  down  to 
make  way  for  a  more  pretentious  edifice. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FIRST  ADVANCE  AGENT. 

The   first  introduction    of   the   advance   agent   in   America   ap- 
peared in  the  person  of  one  Robert  Upton,  who  was  sent  to  New 
York  in  1751  to  prepare  the  wsy  for  the   Hallam  com- 

1751  pany  of  England  which  expected  to  arrive  the  following 
year.     However,   at  that   early   date   the   advance   agent 

was  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by  Americans  and  his  way  was 
not  strewn  with  roses. 

According  to  an  account  published  by  Lewis  Hallam.  when  he 
reached  New  York  the  next  year,  Upton  had  quite  neglected  the 
business  he  was  sent  on  from  England,  ( it  was  generally  sup- 
posed that  Hallam  had  supplied  him  with  funds  with  which  to 
build  a  theatre  in  New  York)  and  had  joined  forces  with  a  "com- 
pany cf  comedians"  from  Philadelphia. 

During  the  season  of  1751-2,  Upton  was  seen  in  New  York 
with  the  referred  to  "company  of  comedians,"  and  appeared  as 
"star"  in  a  number  of  Shakespearian  plays,  opening  in  "Othello" 
and  offering  "Richard  IH.,"  "Provoked  Husband,"  "Venice  Pre- 
served," "Lethe"  and  "Miller  of  Mansfield." 

Altogether  fourteen  plays  and  eight  farces  are  known  to  have 

been  produced  in  New  York  before  the  close  of  1752,  and  that 

"mere  amateurs"  should  have  been  able  to  accomplish 

1752  so  much  in  a  city  containing  but  7,000  inhabitants,  and 
keep  open  house  month  after  month,  seems  incredible, 

the  more  so  since  the  audiences  in  those  days  were  quite  as  criti- 
cal as  they  are  to-day. 

Lewis  Hallam  made  his  first  appearance  in  New  York  in  June, 
1753,  opening  at  the  Nassau  Street  Theatre  with  "The  Conscious 
Lovers."  The  prices  on  the  opening  night  were:  Boxes.  8  shil- 
lings: pit,  6  shillings;  gallery,  4  shillings,  and  on  the  second  night 
were  reduced  to  boxes,  6  shillings;  pit.  5  shillings,  and  gallery,  3 
shillings.  The  season  lasted  from  September  17,  1753,  to  March 
18.  1754. 

To  the  modern  playgoer  Hallam's  repertoire  must  seem  mar- 

12 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        13 

velous,  since  it  comprises  not  only  the  best  works  known  to  the 
drama,  but  the  purest  of  English  plays,  namely,  "King  Lear," 
"Richard  III.,"  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "Beggar's  Opera,"  "Twin 
Rivals,"  "Damon  and  Phillida,"  etc.  Hallam  and  his  company 
closed  their  New  York  engagement  in  March,  1754,  the  actor- 
manager  having  made  enough  money  to  pay  his  bills  with  some 
to  spare. 


CRUGER'S  WHARF  THEATRE. 

In  1758  David  Douglass,  of  England,  built  a  theatre  on  what 

was  then  known  as  Cruger's  Wharf,  near  Old  Slip,  not  far  from 

the    present    Wall    Street    Ferry.      The    building,    called 

1758  Cruger's  Wharf  Theatre,  was  surrounded  by  water  on 
two  sides,  which  would  not  seem  a  favorable  location 
for  a  playhouse,  but  this  does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  detri- 
ment. Douglass  soon  learned,  however,  that  he  had  put  up  the 
building  without  obtaining  "permission  of  the  Magistracy  to 
enact  plays,"  and  when  he  applied  for  the  same  it  was  refused, 
whereupon  he  announced  that  the  house  would  be  opened  as  a 
histrionic  academy. 

It  was  here  that  Owen  Moris,  first  interpreter  of  "comic  old 
men  characters"  in  America,  appeared  with  "shuffling  gait  and 
whistling  treble  which  time  had  forced  upon  him,"  and  which 
brought  loud  applause  as  "the  most  exquisite  imitations  of  old 
age." 

The  following  example  of  Mr.  Douglass's  advertisements  at 
this  time  shows  no  mention  of  his  company  and  lists  no  boxes  or 
reserved  seats: 

"At  the  Theatre  on  Cruger's  Wharf  this  present  Monday  will 
be  presented  a  Comedy  written  by  Captain  Farquhar  called  'The 
Inconstant,  or  the  Way  to  Win  Him.'  Farce,  'The  Mock  Doc- 
tor.' Tickets  to  be  had  at  the  Printing  office  in  Hanover  Square, 
at  the  Coffee  House,  at  the  Fountain  Tavern  and  nowhere  else. 
The  doors  of  che  gallery  will  be  opened  at  four  o'clock,  but  the 
pit  and  boxes,  that  ladies  may  be  well  accommodated  with  seats, 
not  until  five,  and  the  play  begins  precisely  at  six.  N.  B.:  No 
more  tickets  will  be  given  out  than  the  house  will  hold.  And 
positively  no  money  taken  at  the  door." 

Cruger's  Wharf  Theatre,  which  was  at  best  a  primitive  affair, 
was  demolished  soon  after  it  was  vacated  by  Mr.  Douglass,  who 
turned  his  attention  to  Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1759. 


14   OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

CHAPPEL  STREET  THEATRE. 

The  next  theatre  to  make  its  appearance  in  New  York,  and 
which  came  third  in  the  list,  was  the  Chappel  Street  Theatre, 
located  on  the  south  side  of  Beekman  street,  and  sometimes  re- 
ferred to  as  the  Beekman  Street  Theatre.  It  was  built  by  David 
Douglass,  who,  after  an  absence  of  several  years,  during  which 
he  appeared  with  his  "American  Company"  in  Philadelphia,  An- 
napolis and  Rhode  Island,  returned  to  his  former  seat  of  war. 
This  time  he  made  proper  application  to  Lieutenant  Governor 
Cadwallader  Colden  for  permission  to  build  "a  theatre  to  perform 
in  this  city  the  ensuing  winter." 

The  season  began  on  the   19th  of  November,   1761,  and  lasted 

five  months.     Opposition  to  the  drama  was  at  this  period  strong 

throughout  the  country,  and  the  New  York  papers  en- 

1761  gaged  in  a  heated  controversy  concerning  the  habit  of 
playgoing,  one  sheet  even  declaring  that  "attending  the 
theatre  had  often  proved  fatal  to  the  reputation  of  women."  Fic- 
titious advertisements  calling  for  articles  reported  to  have  been 
lost  in  the  theatre  frequently  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  having 
been  inserted  by  opponents  to  the  cause,  who,  in  this  manner, 
hoped  to  prove  places  of  amusement  but  resorts  for  thieves  and 
pickpockets. 

The  following  paragraph,  appearing  in  the  New  York  'Postboy' 
under  date  of  1762.  shows  that  public  curiosity  concerning  the 
inside  workings  of  the  theatre  was  keen  at  this  time. 

"Complaints  having  been  several  times  made  that  a  number  of 
gentlemen  crowd  the  stage  and  very  much  interrupt  the  per- 
formance, and  as  it  is  impossible  that  the  actors  when  thus  ob- 
structed should  do  that  justice  to  their  parts  they  otherwise 
would,  it  will  be  taken  as  a  particular  favor  if  no  gentleman  will 
be  offended  that  he  is  absolutely  refused  admission  at  the  stage 
door  unless  he  had  previously  secured  himself  a  place  in  either 
the  stage  or  upper  boxes." 


ACTORS  NOT  POPULAR. 

Patrons  of  the  drama  who  disapproved  of  performers  or  their 
methods  were  not  so  polite  then  as  they  are  to  day,  and  instead 
of  quietly  leaving  the  audience  when  they  were  bored,  had  a 
spontaneous  and  somewhat  strenuous  habit  of  showing  disgust. 
"A  reward  will  be  given,"  states  a  journal  of  the  day,  "to  who- 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        15 

ever  can  discover  the  person  who  was  so  very  rude  as  to  throw 
eggs  from  the  gallery  upon  the  stage  last  Monday  by  which  the 
colthes  of  some  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  spoiled  and  the  per- 
formance in  some  measure  interrupted." 
In  1764  the  Chappel  Street  Theatre  was  demolished  by  a  mob. 
Feeling    had    now    become    strong    against    actors,    not 
1764      alone  because  of  their  profession  exactly,  but  because 
they  were  of  English  origin  and  naturally  looked  upon 
as  supporters  of  British  aggression. 


JOHN  STREET  THEATRE. 

Following  the   Chappel   Street  Theatre  came  the  John   Street 

Theatre,  also  built  by  David  Douglass.     It  was  located  on  John 

street,  near  Broadway,  and  opened  its  doors  to  the  pub- 

1761       lie  on  the  7th  of  December,   1761.     In  history  it  bears 
the  distinction  of  having  had  "Hail,  Columbia,"  played 
for  the  first  time  under  its  roof,  also  of  having  entertained  Presi- 
dent Washington  after  the  Revolution,  for  whose  accommodation 
a  special  box  was  provided. 

Newspapers  were  at  this  time,  as  they  had  previously  been,  ex- 
tremely silent  regarding  the  theatres  save  in  their  advertising 
columns  and  paid  for  advertisements.  Performers  were  not  con- 
sidered of  sufficient  importance  to  be  given  valuable  space;  in 
fact,  in  most  cases  they  were  looked  upon  as  vagabonds  and 
strollers. 

In  the  first  American  play  produced  in  New  York —the  first 
comedy  written  by  an  American,  Judge  Tyler,  of  Vermont  the 
character  Jonathan  is  made  to  describe  the  theatre  in  New  York 
about  this  time. 

"As  I  was  looking  here  and  there  for  it,"  Jonathan  relates,  "I 
raw  a  great  crowd  of  folks  going  into  a  long  entry  that  had  Ian 
terns  over  the  door,  so  I  asked  the  man  if  that  was  the  place 
they  played  hccus-pocus.  He  was  a  very  civil  kind  of  a  man. 
though  he  did  speak  like  the  Hessians;  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and 
said,  'They  play  hocus-pocus  tricks  enough  there,  God  knows, 
mine  friend.'  So  I  went  right  in  and  they  showed  one  away  clean 
up  to  the  garret,  just  like  a  meeting-house  gallery.  And  so  I 
saw  a  power  of  topping  folks,  all  sitting  around  in  little  cabins 
just  like  father's  corn-crib."  This  was  the  theatre  in  John  street, 
which  flourished  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

The  building  was  principally  of  wood  and  was  painted  red.     It 


16        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  JOHN  STREET  THEATRE. 

had  two  rows  of  boxes  and  a  pit  and  gallery.  The  capacity  of 
the  house  was  about  $800.  The  stage  was  large  enough  to  ac- 
commodate all  the  requirements  of  that  era,  and  the  dressing 
rooms  and  green  room  were  in  a  shed  adjacent  to  the  main 
building. 

Toward  the  close  of  '67  an  Indian  delegation  from  South  Car- 
olina, comprising  the  famous  Attakullakulla  or  the  Little  Car- 
penter, and  the  Raven  King  of  Tcogoloo,  with  six  other  chiefs, 
visited  this  theatre  and,  in  order  to  meet  the  tastes  of  their 
untutored  minds,  a  pantomime  was  substituted  for  the  "Oracle," 
which  had  been  announced  for  the  afterpiece  for  the  evening. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  performance,  the  warriors,  being  desir- 
ous of  making  some  return  for  the  friendly  reception  and  civili- 
ties they  had  received,  offered  to  entertain  the  public  with  a  war 
da  -ce.  Their  offer  was  accepted,  and  their  dance  was  given  on 
the  stage  after  the  pantomime. 


CHAPTER  III. 
BEFORE  THE  REVOLUTION. 

The   first   regulation   regarding    carriages    carrying    people    to 

and  from  the  theatre  was  introduced  during  the  season  of  1768, 

according  to  the  following  notice  which  appeared  in  the 

1768  papers  of  that  date:  "To  prevent  accidents  by  carriages 
meeting  it  is  requested  that  those  coming  to  the  theatre 
house  may  enter  John  street  from  Broadway,  and  returning  drive 
from  thence  down  John  street  into  Nassau  street  or  forwards  to 
that  known  as  Cart  and  Horse  street,  as  may  be  most  con- 
venient." 

The  run  of  the  American  company  at  the  John  Street  Theatre, 
which  covered  a  period  of  eleven  months,  was  not  a  prosperous 
one.  The  cost  of  the  theatre  in  the  face  of  serious  public  oppo- 
sition evidently  proved  too  much  for  the  management,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  season  Mr.  Douglass  found  himself  without 
funds.  Never  was  opposition  to  the  drama  in  New  York  so  bitter 
as  in  the  spring  of  '68  and  as  far  as  possible  the  playhouse  was 
boycotted.  Theatregoing  was  not  only  an  offense  in  the  eyes  of 
those  who  opposed  the  drama,  but  was  punished  as  such,  and  all 
debtors  who  were  known  to  have  attended  the  play  were  made 
to  suffer. 

The  year  of  1773  marked  the  close  of  the  John  Street  Theatre 

before   the   Revolution.      On   the   24th   day   of    March,    1774,    the 

Continental   Congress   passed  a   resolution   recommend- 

1774  ing  the  suspension  of  all  public  places  of  amusement. 
This  also  closed  the  history  of  the  American  theatre 
prior  to  the  Revolution.  Thomas  Wignell.  who  afterward  be- 
came an  important  figure  on  the  American  stage,  arrived  in  New 
York  the  day  before  this  resolution  was  passed,  and  was  sitting  in 
a  barber's  chair  when  he  heard  the  announcement.  This  incident 
is  said  to  have  been  the  last  in  connection  with  the  American 
stage  before  the  war. 

During  the  winter  of  1776,  while  the  country  was  yet  in  a  state 

17 


18        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

of  upheaval,  a  company  of  military  Thespians  appeared   at  the 

John   Street  Theatre.     The  city  was  for  the  most  part 
1776      a  mass  of  unsightly  ruins,  the  result  of  a  great  fire  that 

occurred  the  night  the  English  troops  took  possession. 
The  town  was  practically  isolated,  and  perhaps  it  was  but  natural 
that  the  inhabitants  should  turn  their  attention  to  most  anything 
in  the  way  of  amusement  that  might  divert  their  attention.  At 
any  rate,  these  players  continued  their  run,  which  began  in  1777 
until  the  year  1783.  Their  performances  were  generally  adver- 
tised as  "benefits  for  the  widows  and  orphans  of  soldiers  and 
sailors."  One  interesting  feature  in  connection  with  their  efforts 
was  the  number  of  pieces  offered  for  the  first  time  in  this  coun- 
try. The  list  contained  such  plays  as  "No  One's  Enemy  but 
His  Own,"  "Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a  Wife,"  "Sethona,"  "Com- 
missary," "Lyar,"  "Deaf  Lover,"  "Flitch  of  Bacon,"  "Who's  the 
Dupe?"  "Duke  and  No  Duke,"  etc. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1783,  Dennis  Ryan,  at  one  time  prompter 
at  the  John  Street  Theatre,  began  a  season  which  lasted  until  the 

middle  of  August.    War  for  independence  was  now  over 
1783      but    British    troops    still    occupied    New    York    and    the 

number  of  idle  soldiers  in  the  city  made  the  first  sum- 
mer season  in  the  history  of  New  York  theatricals  possible. 


FIRST  MANAGERIAL  PARTNERSHIP. 

In  1785  Hallam  and  Henry  entered  into  a  managerial  partner- 
ship which  continued  for  seven  years  and  marked  an  epoch  in 
the    theatrical    world    of   the   new   continent.      Notwith- 

1785  standing,  the  players  were  met  with  a  strong  spirit  of 
opposition,  a  legacy  from  the  previous  season  in  which 
Hallam  and  Allen  had  attempted  to  join  forces,  the  company 
opened  with  an  attractive  repertoire  that  kept  the  John  Street 
Theatre  open  until,  in  1788,  when  experience  taught  the  man- 
agers that  the  city  could  not  support  three  performances  per 
week.  This  period  was  marked  by  the  famous  "Doctor's  Mob" 
by  which  performances  were  frequently  interrupted.  Though 
historians  fail  to  detail  exactly  what  this  "Doctor's  Mob"  was,  it 
evidently  had  its  effect  upon  places  of  amusement,  for  the  play- 
house was  closed  for  two  years.  But  again  it  was  opened,  under 
the  management  of  Hallam  and  Henry,  in  1791,  and  from  the 
beginning  of  this  year  until  1792  the  New  York  stage  was  under 
a  period  of  transition.    There  entered  a  new  era  of  development; 


OUR   THEATRES   TO-DAY    AND    YESTERDAY       19 

for  the  first  time,  actors  and  singers  who  had  distinguished  them- 
selves in  England  came  to  America,  and  the  veterans  of  the  Old 
American  Company  were  pushed  aside. 


NEW  ERA  OF  DEVELOPMENT. 

In  1798  the  John  Street  Theatre  was  torn  down  to  make  way 
for  more  modern  improvements,  and  the  next  theatre  of  import- 
ance to  be  built   in   Manhattan  was   the   Park  Theatre, 

1798  which  was  for  many  years  the  center  of  theatrical  at- 
tractions. It  was  built  in  1798  by  a  stock  corporation 
and  located  in  Park  Row,  which  was  then,  as  it  now  is,  one  of 
the  busy  sections  of  the  town.  In  December,  1848.  the  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  after  a  successful  career  of  fifty  years. 

In  1810  Edmund  Simpson  became  manager  of  the  Park  The- 
atre, where,  in  1809,  he  made  his  first  American  appearance  as  an 
actor  in  "The  Road  to  Ruin."  During  the  years  of  his  manage- 
ment, or  until  he  retired  in  1848,  to  be  exact,  he  introduced  nearly 
all  of  the  English  talent  that  visited  this  country,  and  presented 
to  New  York  such  actors  and  actresses  as  Junius  Brutus  Booth, 
George  Frederick  Cooke,  E.  L.  Davenport,  James  W.  Wallack, 
Julia  Dean,  Charlotte  Cushman,  Edwin  Forrest,  Mrs.  John  Drew, 
Charles  and  Fanny  Kemble,  Ellen  Tree,  Charles  Kean,  James  and 
Fanny  Murdock  and  Fanny  EUsIer.  It  was  here  also  that  Italian 
opera  was  first  sung  in  America,  and  it  was  in  this  theatre  that 
on  November  21,  1810,  the  largest  audience  that  had  thus  far 
assembled  in  this  country  gathered  to  witness  a  performance  of 
"Richard  III."  by  Cooke. 

In  the  year  1792  what  is  referred  to  in  history  as  "The  Yell'^w 
Fever  Scare,"  caused  a  depression  in  business  and  social  circles 
throughout  the  greater  portion  of  the  States.  This  plague, 
sweeping  from  Africa  to  the  West  Indies,  reached  America  and 
for  several  years  thereafter  made  an  annual  visit.  "So  fearful 
were  its  ravishes,"  states  one  historian,  "that  the  first  news  of 
its  approach  v.'as  sufficient  to  empty  towns  of  one-half  of  their 
citizens;  and  as  it  came  at  all  periods,  though  chiefly  in  summer, 
it  permitted  no  system  to  be  planned  with  security.  It  broke  up 
the  legislatures,  paralyzed  trade,  and,  of  course,  put  an  end  to 
all  kinds  of  amusement.  The  theatres  were  the  earliest  to  suffer, 
for,  in  addition  to  the  panic  which  the  fever  created,  a  crowd  was 
a  medium  for  spreading  infection." 

But  the  closing  of  the  theatre  only  increased  an  appetite  for 


20       OUR   THEATRES   TO  DAY   AND    YESTERDAY 

entertainment,  and  in  the  years  that  followed  the  losses  sustained 
by  managers  during  the  "scare"  were  more  than  made  up.  The 
moment  the  doors  of  amusement  places  were  thrown  open  again 
people  flocked  to  them  like  swarming  bees,  and  the  demand  could 
not  be  supplied.  About  the  only  worry  the  manager  had  at  this 
time  was  counting  his  receipts  and  guarding  the  same.  The  best 
actors  the  theatrical  world  had  produced  were  imported  from 
Europe;  they  were  thoroughly  studied,  and  rarely  was  a  rehearsal 
needed. 


N  E  If  -  7   O  R  K.    December 


THEATRE. 

By  the  Old    American    Company. 

On   Monday  Evening,    the  19th  Inft.   will  be   prefented, 

^   CO  M  E  or,     called, 

The    RECESS: 

Or,  The  Mask  d  Apparition. 

Mufcato,  Mr.     H  A   L  L  A   M, 
Don  Guzman,  Mr.     HENRY, 

Don  Ferdinand,  Mr.     MARTIN, 

Don  Pedro,  Mr.  H  A  M  M   O   N   D, 

Lazarillo,  Mr.      R  Y  A   N, 

Oaavio,  Mr.     ROBINSON, 

Alguazil,  Mr.     W  O  O  L  L  S, 
And,     Don  Carlos,  Mr.      HARPER. 

Donna  Marcella,  Mifs     T  U  K  E, 

Donna  Aurora,  Mrs.      HAMILTON, 

Leonarda,  Mrs.      GRAY, 

jind,     Beatrice,  Mrs.     HENRY. 

DANCING      by     Mr.    Durang. 

To  which  will  be  addcl,   (the  Fifih  Night,  ly  Dcfre) 

The  PRISONER   at  LARGE: 
Or,  The  Humours  of  Killainey. 

Old  Dowdlc,  Mr.      HENRY, 

Lord  Efmond,  Mr.      H   A   R   P   I;   R, 

Jack  Connor,  Mr.      MAR    1    I   N, 

Tough,  Mr.      HEARD, 

Father  Frank,  Mr.      W  O  O  L   L  S, 

Fripon,  Mr.      RYAN, 

Frill,  Mr.      ROBINSON, 

Landlord,  Mr.      V  A   U   G   M   A   N, 

^nd,         Muns,  Mr.     H  A  L  L  A  M. 

Adelaide,  Mifs     T  U  K   E, 

Mary,  Mrs.     H   A  M  1   L  T  O  N, 

Landlady,  Mrs.     GRAY,  * 

yind,     Rachel,  Mrs.     H  B  N  R  Y. 

PLACES  in  ihe  BOXES  m>y  be  (akcn  of  Mr.  Faaltner  at  the  Bos-office,  from  T«  lo  Imlvi.  A.  M.  an.l  u" 
Diyi  of  PcrformaTice  from  Tbr,,  to  Fiv,,  P.  M.  where  jifo  Tickets  mjy  be  hid,  and  tt  Mr.  Ccmti  Book- 
blofe  at  Ihe  Bible  in  HariTVfr-S'juere. 

t+t  Hamam  «c  He«i,,  rerpcJlfiilly  iDform  the  Public,  the  Door!  will  be  opened  at  a  ^«,.r/<r  aftcf  F/v 
and  Ihc  Cunain  drawn  up  precilcly  at  a  ^jrtir  after  Six  oClxk. 

Box  8s.     Pjt  6s.     Gallery  4s. 

LatiUi  and  GtniUmcn  art  rcjut/Ird  tojcnd  ibdr  Strvanis  al  Fwt.  lo  keep  Places,  and  tt  onlcr  iheir 

Ltnubmm  lo  laic  up  and  fa  dovn  ui,6  ihtir  Horfci  He.iii  lo  iht  Eafi-Rtvcr,   m  avoid  Oj-ijufim. 
*,*    Thi  Diior  kicftrs    art  pofiti-^ily  frobihittd  taking  Mtntv  ai  the  Duori,   uidrjs  in  hxclangt  ef 
Placet,  tkcrcjere  Ladies  and  Gentkmtn  viill  bt  iiriJ  emugh  mfupplj  ihtmjci'jes  mih  Tidcis. 

f^k'al  Reffiuhtka. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ACTORS  BECOMING  RECOGNIZED  SOCIALLY. 

The  actor's  social  position  was  becoming  recognized;  salaries 
maintained  a  fair  level,  though  they  would  compare  unfavorably 
with  the  salary  of  the  present-day  chorus  girl,  and  there  was  no 
haggling  ever  contracts.  The  average  salary  was  about  four 
pounds  per  week,  though  in  some  cases  an  actor  received  as  high 
as  twelve  and  fifteen  pounds. 

The  modern  rage  for  novelty  had  as  yet  not  set  in;  the  drama 
itself  being  of  sufficient  novelty.  Thus  a  manager  in  those  old 
days  need  not  risk  a  fortune  on  a  game  of  chance  and  was  never 
perplexed  over  future  attractions.  Even  melodrama  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
turies, was  unknown  to  the  stage,  the  nearest  approach  to  it 
being  serious  pantomime,  such  as  "La  Perouse"  and  "Don  Juan." 
Shakespeare  and  O'Keefe  were  the  staple  attractions,  varied  now 
and  then  with  Goldsmith,  Cumberland,  Farquhar  and  Sheridan. 

Performances  were  given  upon  alternating  nights,  that  is,  but 
three  performances  were  given  during  the  week  and  two  and 
three  hundred  dollars  per  night  was  considered  a  receipt  suffi- 
cient to  suit  the  most  fastidious  manager. 

The  favorite  plays  that  gladdened  the  heart  of  our  forefathers 
were  "Hamlet,"  "Othello,"  "West  Indian,"  "Rivals,"  "Poor  Sol- 
dier," "Padlock,"  and  "Original  Surprise." 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  NEW  YORKERS. 

Something  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  populace  of  the 
Western  metropolis  at  this  period  may  be  of  interest  to  the 
reader.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  world 
was  beginning  to  look  upon  New  York  as  the  index  to  the  United 
States— the  open  market  for  the  foreigner  and  a  mecca  for  our 

21 


22        OUR    THEATRES    TO  DAY    AND    YESTERDAY 

countrymen  who  made  annual  pilgrimages  to  "Yorktown."  What 
is  to- day  block  after  block  of  from  six  to  twenty-five  story  brick 
and  stone  buildings,  was  then  little  more  than  a  cluster  of  small 
stores  and  dwellings  and  a  few  scattered  inns  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  passerby.  Homes  were  maintained  like  fortifica- 
tions, with  doors  and  windows  barred,  while  garden  walls  were 
usually  hedged  with  "glass  bottles  in  a  bed  of  mortar." 

The  Dutch  element  was  in  evidence,  though  on  every  hand 
could  be  found  the  energetic  European  who  had  come  to  the  new 
world  in  a  spirit  of  adventure,  and  the  shrewd  New  England 
Yankee. 

Prosperous  local  merchants  were  in  the  habit  of  breakfasting 
at  8  o'clock,  by  9  o'clock  entering  their  counting  houses,  where 
they  mapped  out  the  day's  business.  At  10  they  strolled  down 
to  the  wharves  "with  aprons  around  their  waists,"  where  they 
rolled  hogsheads  of  molasses  and  rum  or  the  particular  com- 
modity in  which  they  were  respectively  interested,  and  at  noon 
sought  the  market  place  to  barter  their  wares.  By  2  o'clock  they 
were  back  at  the  wharves  again,  where  they  worked  with  sleeves 
rolled  up  until  4,  when  they  went  home  to  dress  for  dinner. 

From  the  dinner  hour  on  until  the  wee  sma'  hours  their  only 
thought  was  enjoyment.  At  7  they  went  to  the  play,  at  11  they 
had  supper,  "after  which,"  to  quote  a  historian  of  the  day,  "they 
would  smoke  cigars,  gulp  down  brandy  and  sing  and  roar  in  the 
thickening  clouds  they  created  like  so  many  merry  devils,"  and 
like,  also,  might  be  added,  so  many  of  their  merry  descendants  of 
more  than  a  century  later. 


WHEN  OIL  FLOATS  WERE  USED  FOR  LIGHT. 

How  little  the  theatregoer  of  to-day  appreciates  the  advantages 
of  modern  invention.  In  the  days  of  our  grandfathers  the  the- 
atre was  not  lighted  with  electricity  and  gas,  but  bv  candles  and 
tallow  dip-.  Before  the  candelier  with  its  patent  oil  lamps  came 
into  vogue,  a  "barrel  hoop"  suspended  over  the  audience  served 
to  light  up  the  evening  gowns  and  reflect  the  jewels  of  the 
assembly.  The  crude  lamps  used  at  the  wings  of  the  old  Park 
Theatre  after  it  had  seen  twenty-five  years  of  hard  service,  often 
had  a  dangerous  way  of  flaring  out  and  threatening  to  burn  uo 
the  palaces,  trees  and  sky.  These  lamps  were  open  "floats,"  with 
wick  holders  coming  from  the  bottom,  and  the  oil,  when  heated, 
would  easily  catch  fire  and  burn  in  a  broad  flame. 


OUR   THEATRES    TO  DAY    AND    YESTERDAY       23 

To  guard  against  accidents,  a  tub  of  water  was  always  placed 
on  either  side  of  the  stage,  with  a  large  "swab"  or  mop  ready 
for  use  at  a  moment's  notice,  and  it  was  a  rare  thing  that  a  night 
passed  without  a  "swabbing"  taking  place.  The  stage  hands 
were  required  to  keep  strict  watch  over  these  lamps  and  aside 
from  their  careful  scrutiny,  every  actor  on  the  stage  was  cau- 
tioned always  to  be  conscious  concerning  them.  We  can  imagine 
what  would  happen  if  some  of  the  "temperamental"  actresses 
of  the  present  day  were  advised  by  the  management  to  "keep 
their  eyes  on  a  lamp"  located  in  the  wings — especially  on  an 
opening  night— but  the  result  is  almost  too  distressing  to  con- 
template. 


FATHER  OF  THE  AMERICAN  STAGE? 

Before  passing  too  far  out  of  the  shadow  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  the  career  of  one  Andrew  Jackson  Allen  should  be  re- 
corded. "Dummy  Allen,"  he  was  affectionately  known  by  his 
associates,  and  his  chief  claim  to  distinction  was  the  title  he  bore 
of  "Father  of  the  American  Stage."  Allen  was  born  in  New 
York  City  in  December,  1776,  and  died  here  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  seventy-seven.  His  first  appearance  in  public  was  made  as 
one  of  the  incense  boys  in  "Romeo  and  Juliet"  at  the  John  Street 
Theatre  in  1787,  and  his  name  frequently  appeared  on  the  play- 
bills in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He  was  Andrew 
Allen  in  those  days,  the  "Jackson"  having  been  tacked  on  in  after 
years,  possibly  for  the  purpose  of  "making  it  harder." 

Allen's  favorite  characters  appear  to  have  been  those  in  which 
he  was  called  upon  to  attempt  murder  and  assassination.  His 
make  up  of  slouched  hat,  overhanging  feathers,  broad  belt  with 
wide  brass  buckle,  short  sword  and  wide-sleeved  gauntlets,  was  de- 
clared most  effective.  For  a  number  of  years  he  played  villain 
parts  in  the  drama. 

When  Edwin  Forrest  began  to  rise  in  the  profession,  Allen 
decided  to  rise  with  him  and  attached  himself  as  tragedian  and 
costumer  to  Forrest,  with  whom  he  traveled  the  States  and 
England,  always  taking  full  share  for  the  great  actor's  success. 
However,  when  at  length  he  became  detached  from  Forrest's 
company,  it  was  noticed  that  the  latter  managed  to  get  on  very 
well  without  the  aid  of  "the  Father  of  the  American  Stage." 
During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  Allen  set  up  as  a  costumer  in 
New  York,  where  he  advertised  as  follows: 


24        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

"HUMBUGS  A  VAUNT.— I  am  not  dead  yet:  Ingratitude  has 
not  killed  me  thanks  to  a  clear  conscience  and  a  pair  of  'leather 
breeches'  silver  leather  breeches.  All  I  want  is  work,  that  I 
may  thrive  by  my  industry,  pay  my  debts  and  die,  as  I  have 
always  lived,  an  honest  man." 


WHEN  BOXES  WERE  PENS. 

One  recorder  of  the  past  generation  who  visited  the  old  Park 
Theatre  after  it  had  seen  twenty-five  years  of  service,  which 
brings  it  down  to  1823,  describes  it  as  a  place  with  "boxes  like 
pens  for  beasts,  across  which  were  stretched  benches  consisting 
of  mere  board  covered  with  faded  green  moreen,  a  narrower 
board,  shoulder  high,  being  stretched  behind  to  serve  for  a  back. 
But  one  seat  en  each  of  the  three  or  four  benches  was  without 
even  this  luxury  in  order  that  the  seat  itself  might  be  raised 
upon  its  hinges  for  people  to  pass  in. 

"These  inclcsures  were  keot  under  lock  and  key  by  a  fee- 
expecting  creature  who  was  always  half  drunk,  when  he  was  not 
wholly  drunk.  The  floor  was  dirty  and  broken  into  holes;  the 
seats  were  bare,  backless  benches. 

"Women  rarely  sat  in  the  pit.  The  place  was  pervaded  with 
evil  sm.ells,  and  not  uncommonly  in  the  midst  of  a  performance 
rats  ran  out  of  holes  in  the  floor  and  into  the  orchestra.  As  to 
the  house  itself,  it  was  the  dingy  abode  of  dreariness.  The 
gallery  was  occupied  by  howling  roughs  who  might  have  taken 
lessons  in  behavior  from  the  negroes  who  occupied  a  part  of  the 
latter,  which  was  railed  off  for  their  particular  use." 

Contrast  these  conditions  with  tho?e  of  to  day,  oh,  ye  who 
grumble  because  the  plush  backed  chairs  of  the  theatre  are  not 
far  enough  apart  that  you  may  sit  back,  cross  your  knees,  and 
enjoy  the  comforts  of  home. 


CHAPTER  V. 
FIRST  SUMMER  THEATRE. 

The  first  summer  garden  theatre  in  New  York  seems  to  have 

been    the    Mt.    Vernon    Summer   Theatre,    which   was    opened   in 

1800  by  a   French  cook  who  had  formerly  catered  to  a 

18C0       British  arm.y  officer.     This  building,  of  which  we  have 

no  description,  was  located  at  the  northwest  corner  of 

Broadway  and  Leonard  street.     A  number  of  players  from  the 

Park  Theatre  were  engaged  for  the  opening  season  and  presented, 

as  a  premiere,  "Miss  in  Her  Teens."     The  career  of  the  house 

was  unimportant  to  history. 

In  March,  1804,  the  Grove  Theatre  came  into  existence,  occu- 
pying a  small  house  in  Bedloe  street  (  now  Madison  )  just  east  of 
Catherine  street.     This  venture  probably  introduced  the 
1804       first    woman    theatrical    manager    to    New    York,    for    it 
was    controlled,    during   its    short    run    of    one    year,    by 
Miss  Ross,  who  afterward  became  Mrs.  Frederick  Wheatly  and 
was  popular  on  the  stage  during  her  day. 
Vauxhall  Garden,  located  on  the  west  side  of  Fourth  avenue, 
opposite  Cooper  Union,  and  running  through  to  Broad- 
1806       way  as  far  as  Astor  Place,  opened  its  doors  to  the  public 
on  May   10,   1806,  with  a  company  of  players  from  the 
Park  Theatre. 

The  year  1810  marked  the  beginning  of  Scudder's  Museum,  in 
which    P.   T.    Barnum   later   became   interested.      The    exhibition 
occupied  an  old  two-story  building  on  the  north  side  of 
1810       Chambers  street,  once  used  as  the  city  almshouse.     Dr. 
Scudder  at  first  offered  an  exhibition  of  stuffed  animals 
and  pictures,  giving  an   occasional  lecture.     The  museum  flour- 
ished until  1841,  when  Barnum  purchased  its  contents,  removing 
same  to  Broadway  and  Ann  street. 

25 


26        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

FIRST  NEW  YORK  CIRCUS. 

In  1811  the  first  circus  ever  seen  in  New  York  made  its  appear- 
ance in  Broome  street  "on  the  outskirts  of  the  city."     A  small 
stage   was  built   in   the   open,   with   a   platform   six   feet 

1811  high,  on  which  the  circus  was  presented,  and  the  com- 
pany   depended    entirely    upon    the    kind  heartedness    of 

the  spectators  for  existence,  a  hat  being  passed  among  the  crowd 
after  each  performance.  Later  the  circus  was  removed  to  Prince 
street. 

The  Broadway  Circus  made  its  bow  to  New  York  in  1812  in 

a   building   afterward   called    the    New    Olympic    Theatre,    which 

was    located    on    the    east   side    of   Broadway    at    White 

1812  street.  There  was  a  bar  attached  for  the  delectation 
of  patrons,  and  after  the  removal  of  the  circus  dramatic 

performances  were  given  on  the  stage.  It  was  here  that  John 
Bernard  made  his  New  York  debut  in  1814  as  Sir  Peter  Teazle 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holman. 

The  Anthony  Street  Theatre,  situated  on  Anthony  street  ( now 
Worth   street),   near   Broadway,   on   ground   later   occu- 

1813  pied  by  Christ's  Church,  was  opened,  April  12,  1813, 
with  a  performance  of  "Three  Weeks  After  Marriage." 

It  was  here  that  Henry  Wallack.  brother  of  James,  made  his  bow 
to  the  New  York  public  as  Young  Nerval.  The  building  was 
torn  down  in  1821  and  Christ's  Church  erected  on  the  property. 

In  1822  the  Chatham  Garden  and  Theatre,  in  its  day  the  resort 

of  New  York's  fashion,  was  opened.     It  was  afterward  renamed 

the  Pavilion  Theatre.     So  great  was  the  success  cf  this 

1822  place  that  in  1824  a  more  elaborate  building  was  erected 
which  was  called  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre  and 
threatened  to  become  a  rival  to  the  old  Park  Theatre.  Two 
years  later,  however,  in  1826,  the  place  was  sold  at  auction,  real- 
izing $4,500,  and  this  same  year  Henry  Wallack  reopened  the 
house,  with  J.  B.  Booth  as  stage  manager.  It  again  changed 
hands  in  1827,  and  in  1829  J.  H.  Hackett  became  its  manager, 
renaming  it  the  American  Opera  House.  In  1834  the  theatre 
was  converted  into  a  Presbyterian  Chapel. 

The  City  Theatre,  cr  Temple  cf  Drama,  also  opened  in   1822. 

It  occupied  the  second  story  of  a  building  situated  at  15  Warren 

street,  and  Mrs.  Baldwin,  formerly  of  the  Park  Theatre 

1822  Company,  was  its  manager,  but  its  career  has  left  no 
mark  in  the  pages  of  history. 


Tue»d«.v  Ex'ns.  «t«.  ISdi,  IHIJ. 
tjg^.JM  Kxlrnofainnvt/  IttH ! 
W^TWO  COMIC   I*A>TO.MIMKS 

M'meJAVELLI 

<  Shaut!*  of  .4|i|iritbalioii  hikI  .\|>|i!»iiar 

MICiJilTOWIL! 

i#-UJfABATK»  AT'rit.4«  TIO.>  '■ 

RAVELfAMILY! 

iWR.  II.  AM»  MISS  >t  KI.LS, 

n.neciialiinioaa 


A  OaMop  VilUpo.9.  by  th- 


Tight  Rope! 

Bv  lh«  a«v»l  TMoUy.  Oknrl...  Wiuthct,  ind 


Her  riecon<l  «|i|iciir«iirc  in  An 


AH  ovbrtdre: 


mazitlhie: 

TiiK   M«;llT  OnL! 


^du*.  •  — I  '■""I,"!: 


Sl^NO^  of  EaYPTIAN^MUM 


Eiunorofnoul. 


k^  -H  )     Bnslio  Ohambor. 

n.™.  J    •i.Uuaid  Ooihic  P^lo««-  _     .„,„!.• 

MnrlKjl  Pl»co.       "  ■•'  '      Mnriuo  Vi«w. 
■  '        "   .  Exlorior   of  Tarki^    r.l.««. 

Ik...  ■     InUrior  .f  •  Boyrb  Turkl.h  T  J.c. 

K«.   •     A9U««U        ' I«U.r>»r»rHo*l«n»JiH. 

■*•■'    I     Becky  M»n«*»in"-  _„_■ 

W-nagniflcoDt  P«l»oo  of  Maxalmo  '.^ 
Ig^'An  ciijirtr,'  .>>w  Punlomlnic  I^l 

With  WW  DT.««^.jM^fy> '!•?•'•*•••  *'.     -,    _ 


A  Typical  Play  Bill,  Used  at  Niblo's 
Gardens,  1842 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY        27 

WHERE  "THE  BLACK  CROOK"  SHOWED. 

Niblo's  Garden,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Broadway  and  Prince 

street,  became  one  of  New  York's  leading  places  of  amusement 

in  the  year   1823,  when  William  Niblo  took  possession 

1823  of  property  form.erly  known  as  Columbia  Gardens  and 
used  as  a  circus  grounds  and  place  for  training  race- 
horses. At  first  a  rather  poor  building  was  erected  which  served 
as  a  kind  of  theatre  and  open-air  garden,  called  San  Souci.  Al- 
though for  three-quarters  of  a  century  Niblo's  Garden  stood  as 
one  of  New  York's  most  popular  places  of  amusement,  it  was 
not  until  1849  that  the  house  was  turned  into  a  regular  theatre, 
which  it  continued  to  be  until  1895,  when  the  building  was 
demolished.  At  first  a  light  variety  of  amusement  was  offered, 
but  during  its  regime  it  was  the  home  of  many  large  spectacular 
productions,  including  "The  Black  Crock,"  which  in  1866  held 
the  record  run  of  100  consecutive  performances;  the  famous 
Kiralfy  pieces,  and  all  the  popular  tragedians  of  the  time,  from 
Edwin  Forrest  to  John  McCuUough,  down  to  Thomas  W.  Keene 
of  our  day.  Incidentally,  the  final  attraction  at  Niblo's  was 
George  W.  Monroe  in  "My  Aunt  Bridget,"  and  three  of  those  in 
his  support  were  Raymond  Hitchcock,  Marie  Bates  and  Mamie 
Ryan.     Niblo's  Garden  was  finally  closed  March  23,  1895. 

On  July  4,  1825,  the  Lafayette  Theatre,  situated  just  north  of 

Canal  street,  extending  from  West  Broadway,  or  Laurens  street 

as  it  was  then  known,  was  opened.     The  form  of  enter- 

1825      tainment   it   offered   to    the   public    consisted   chiefly    of 

equestrian    exhibitions,    farces    and   ballets.     The    stage, 

considered  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  was   1,200  feet  deep 

and  100  feet  wide,  and  could  be  transferred  into  a  tank  of  water 

when  occasion  demanded. 


FIRST  THEATRE  LIGHTED  BY  GAS. 

Looking    back    over    the    pages    of    history,    the    Old    Bowery 

Theatre  appears  to  have  been  the  first  really  serious  rival  to  the 

Park  Theatre.     Its  location  was  on  the  west  side  of  the 

1825       Bowery,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Canal  street,  on  a  site 

formerly  used  as  a  cattle  market  and  owned  by  George 

Astor.     At  first  the  building  was  known  as  Bull's  Head  Theatre, 

but  on  the  23d  of  October,  1825,  it  was  opened  as  the  Bowery 

Theatre.     This   was   the   first  amusement   house   in   New   York 


28        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

to  be  lighted  with  gas,  and  although  the  equipment  would  be 
considered  quite  inadequate  for  even  the  most  unpretentious  of 
modern  productions,  it  was  then  looked  upon  as  a  wonderful 
innovation  in  the  theatrical  world.  In  the  former  days  of  lamp- 
lighting  actors  were  constantly  standing  on  a  line  in  an  endeavor 
to  get  into  the  small  stream  of  light  shed  from  the  wings  and 
assisted  by  the  "float"  footlights,  which  they  called  the  "focus." 

A  story  illustrating  the  difficulties  under  which  actors  labored 
in  the  lamplighting  days  is  told  by  Edmund  Kean  who,  in  1820, 
made  his  American  debut  at  the  Anthony  Street  Theatre.  An 
admirer  one  day  met  Kean  on  the  street  after  he  had  given  an 
unusually  good  performance  the  previous  night  in  "Othello."  The 
man  was  enthusiastic  in  his  congratulations.  "But  I  really  thought 
you  were  going  to  choke  lago,  Mr.  Kean,"  he  added,  "you  seemed 
so  tremendously  in  earnest." 

"In  earnest,"  returned  Kean,  "I  should  think  so!  Hang  the 
fellow,  he  was  trying  to  keep  me  out  of  the  focus!" 

The  exterior  of  the  Bowery  Theatre  was  rather  imposing  for 
a  playhouse  of  its  day,  being  in  imitation  of  white  marble  and 
attractively  decorated.  In  1879  the  name  of  the  house  was 
changed  to  the  Thalia  and  from  this  year  until  1889  it  was  the 
home  of  German  drama  and  opera.  In  1891  it  was  turned  over 
to  the  Yiddish  drama,  which  has  since  held  the  boards.  Under 
its  roof  Edwin  Forrest  made  his  American  debut  as  a  tragedian, 
Charlotte  Cushman  first  appeared  in  this  country  as  Lady  Mac- 
beth, "London  Assurance"  was  produced,  Malibran  made  his  bow 
to  New  York,  and  nearly  every  important  actor  of  the  past  gen- 
eration at  one  time  or  another  appeared  upon  its  stage. 

In  1827,  when  M.  and  Mme.  Hutton,  Parisian  dancers,  appeared 
here,  and  Mme.  Hutton  displayed  herself  in  what  afterward  be- 
came the  popular  ballet  costume,  the  public  was  so  startled  at 
this  new  departure  that  the  management  requested  her  to  change 
her  wearing  apparel  to  Turkish  trousers,  which  the  lady  obligingly 
did. 

On  four  occasions  this  building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  each 
time  being  rebuilt. 


THEATRES  ON  THE  INCREASE. 

The  Richmond  Hill  Theatre,  also  known  at  various  times  during 
its  existence  as  the  Greenwich  Theatre,  Tivoli  Gardens,  the  Na- 
tional  Theatre   and   the    New   York    Opera   House,  was 

1831  located  at  the  rear  of  a  lot  fronting  on  Varick  street, 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  Varick  and  Chambers  streets. 


•  i  / 
i-  n«  ' 


sir.  WIIiSJOM 


Lant  niKht  of  the  apcoaranco  of 

SIISS  SHIRREIFF,      TKR. 'Wll*Sn Si , 

ot,    r.IR.  ZZ GUIK\ 

SAT!  KiJAV  i:vi:<;.  >i\iti  ii  Jioth,  is:i;», 

Fra  I>iaro:o,  t'.v.  V/II,SON 

Giacomo.  Mr.  SZG-JI?! 

Lord  Allcash. Vlr.  XiATHAIVI 


Zorlina.         :         :         :  i         '      MISS  SHIB.REFF 


..i/;v/./.-y.  .Vf 
Act  I<1. — All  Inn  noar  Torrnrinii. 
Arl  2(1. — Clinmhcr  in  the  Inn. 
Art  3'i. —  ^     Kiminiitir    lian<hru]ii witli    thi-    (linpcl    and 

H*Tinitn::i'. 

K»<; — -Mr    sr.liLIV. 

Scotch  lt«l,L«n Mr    HILSOX "Tlif  L»"^  o  Oonnr.- 

Sovo >lr  Wlt.LIAM>: 'l«r   Innr  UiH  «iM~>n) "  ll>iinot>  of  a  rtrr  >niir.r 

Oi.oS.  nrr.r  II. M  .r. Mr    WILSON ■l.k    ..-f  : <-:„,k  nUiJI   v»  •• 

■SoNr. Mr    HOICV  «S'II.I'. 

G  As  ^  R  A  ! 

<»r,— -Tlif  Mai.l  of  -"SBilaii. 
Jocose,  -  Vf.r.  Wilsoa 


Ciarit        -    ■■   ■.•"<!  I'mc  in  Amrnca)  .  .  IQiss  ShiircS* 

F.J.It. Mn.  Rutrlll  Nioiwll V.-  .s,.,l.  ,. , 


CliaractorB  in  the  Episode. 

P-ir.--— — Ii,,...|l.„. 


MR.  M.VTTUCVVS.         Mn.  WAI.TO.N,   ^     MB.  J.  WAl.l.ifK.  Ml.-i,"  .MO.MER. 

MR.  HI.\KKI.V.         '      MR.   It<l<;i:i!.-i.  .»1R.  CfONRR,  MRS.  >UnoN 

MR.  r.tMUr.KT,  HK.  ll.\l.l»irK, 

Celebrated  maiino  Vionr.  from  the  Flay  of  tiafitto. 


FIRE  i»EPAi:  I  •JtB;\'r  riM>. 

On.Mn.i,...,-nv.,.  Mr.  HAMBI-rW 

TAOn  BIAWAOEB  "JR.  rUTCIICtl. 

I,,..m...   .>.n„«..lr.i     fnMtr    r.~    H  .ill   .Iror. 


An  Interesting  Play  Bill,  18:;9 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        29 

The  building  was  formerly  a  mansion,  with  white  wooden  porch 
supported  by  pillars,  and  at  one  time  served  as  the  country  seat 
cf  Aaron  Burr.  In  1831  the  property  came  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Richard  Russell,  who  opened  the  house  as  the  Richmond 
Hill  Theatre.  In  1840  the  name  of  the  place  was  changed  to  that 
of  Tivoli  Gardens  and  in  1843,  when  the  property  was  taken  over 
by  Thomas  Flynn,  it  was  called  the  National  Theatre.  In  1846 
it  was  rebuilt  and  rechristened  the  Greenwich  Theatre,  under 
which  name  it  flourished  until  1848,  when  it  was  abandoned  for 
a  time  and  later  reopened  as  the  New  York  Opera  House.  Many 
of  the  best  performers  of  the  age  appeared  on  this  stage. 

In  1833  the  National  Theatre,  located  at  the  southeast  corner 

of   Leonard   and   Church   streets,   made   its   appearance.     It   was 

later   known  as  the   Italian   Opera    House,  and   in   1840 

1833  came  under  the  management  of  James  W.  Wallack.  In 
1841  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Being  in  a 
poor  and  inconvenient  neighborhood,  it  had  never  been  suc- 
cessful, although  a  number  of  favorite  actors,  including  Junius 
Brutus  Booth,  appeared  on  its  stage. 

The  Franklin  Theatre,   described  as  "a  little   box   of  a  place, 

twenty-five  feet  wide,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  550,"  made  its 

appearance  at    175   Chatham   street   in   the   fall   of   1835. 

1835  In  April,  1841,  the  name  of  the  house  was  changed  to 
the  Little  Drury  Theatre,  and  again  in  August  of  the 
same  year  to  the  Little  Franklin  Theatre.  It  was  next  known 
as  Old  Drury.  During  its  palmy  days  Mrs.  Mary  Duff  ( the  Mrs. 
Siddons  of  America )  was  one  of  its  popular  stars,  and  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin"  was  seen  on  its  stage.  Finally,  in  1848,  it  was 
turned  into  a  museum  known  as  the  Franklin  Museum,  where 
exhibitions  and  magic-lantern  shows  were  given  twice  a  day, 
until  the  building  was  converted  into  a  furniture  store  in  1854. 

The  Bowery  Amphitheatre  made  its  appearance  at  37  Bowery 
in  the  year   1835  in  a  building  erected  in   1833  for  the 

1835  purpose  of  a  zoological  institute,  and  which  was  altered 
to  suit  the  demands  of  an  amusement  place.     From  1843 

to  1848  the  place  was  under  the  management  of  John  Tyron 
and  known  principally  as  a  minstrel  hall. 

The  Little  Broadway  Theatre,  at  one  time  Euterpian  Hall,  at 

the  corner  of  Canal   street,  was   opened   August  28,   1836.     The 

building  was  finally  converted  into  a  saloon  known  as 

1836  Apollo's  Saloon,  where  performances  of  "Marionettes" 
and  "Blue  Beard"  were  given.     It  closed  in  1837,  and  in 

1852,  coming  under  new  management,  was  renovated  and  re- 
named The  People's  Opera  House.  The  last  performance  was 
given  in  this  theatre  in  IS'Sl. 


30        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

A  place  of  entertainment  called  the  City  Theatre,  located  op- 
posite   St.    Paul's,    opened   in    the    mon  h   of   July,    1837, 

1837  and  for  a  short  time  was  known  as  Miss  Mornier's 
Dramatic  Saloon.    It  soon  passed  out  of  existence. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  BURLESQUE. 

The  Olympic  Theatre,  located  at  144  Broadway,  between  Grand 

and   Howard  streets,  was   opened   September   12,    1837,   and   was 

described  by  a  critic  of  the  day  as  "a  parlor  of  elegance 

1837  and  beauty."  The  opening  performance  was  "Perfec- 
tion," followed  by  "The  Lady  and  the  Devil."  The 
auditorium  was  small  and  was  "entered  by  a  subterranean  pass 
age  running  between  the  boxes  and  furnished  with  distinct  ticket 
vendors  and  doorkeepers."  The  first  and  second  rows  of  boxes 
were  shut  off  from  the  lobby  by  a  series  of  doors  and  were  set 
apart  for  ladies  and  their  escorts.  A  bar  was  run  in  connection 
with  the  theatre  for  the  accommodation  of  the  thirsty.  Seats  in 
the  boxes  sold  for  75  cents,  and  in  the  pit  for  37^/2  cents.  The 
Olympic,  however,  was  not  placed  on  a  paying  basis  until  the 
season  of  1838-9,  when  William  Mitchell  took  hold  of  it.  Then 
from  1841  to  1845  it  became  the  leading  place  of  amusement  in 
the  city,  producing  light  farces,  extravaganzas  and  burlesques, 
in  which  the  best  performers  of  the  age  were  seen.  In  1850 
Mitchell  retired  and  the  house  was  taken  over  by  William  E. 
Burton,  who  paid  the  former  manager  $1,200  for  his  possessions. 
Burton  endeavored  to  revive  public  interest,  which  had  waned  to 
some  extent,  but  after  two  or  three  seasons  gave  it  up  as  a  bad 
job  and  the  theatre,  after  changing  hands  a  number  of  times,  was 
finally  burned  down  in  1854. 

Palmo's    Opera    House    was    opened   in    1839    at    41    Chambers 

street  by  one  Sig.  Ferdinand  Palmo,  with  a  view  to  establishing  a 

permanent    New    York    home    for    his    beloved    Italian 

1839  opera.  The  house  had  a  seating  capacity  of  800  and 
was  a  dismal  failure  in  the  hands  of  Palmo,  who  very 
soon  let  it  for  purposes  of  entertainment  to  anyone  who  could 
pay  the  rent.  In  1848  William  E.  Burton  became  its  manager, 
and  after  making  some  improvements,  it  entered  into  a  season  of 
prosperity.     It  was  here  that   Mile.   Augusta  made  her   bow  to 

31 


32        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

New  York,  and  that  Samuel  Lover  appeared  in  entertainments  of 
his  own.  Many  famous  minstrels  gave  performances  on  its  stage, 
and  here  numerous  popular  burlesques  came  into  vogue.  After 
Burton  retired  from  its  management  the  house  changed  hands 
frequently  until  the  United  States  Government  obtained  the 
property  for  official  purposes,  and  in  1876  the  building  was  finally 
torn  down  to  make  way  for  new  improvements. 

The    Chatham    Street   Theatre,   on   the   east    side    of    Chatham 
street,  between  Roosevelt  and  James  streets,  was  opened  in  1839 

with  a  performance  cf  "A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts." 
1839       In    1847,    owing    to    poor    business,    it    was    for    a    time 

turned  into  a  circus,  but  shortly  became  a  legitimate 
amusement  house  again.  Here  in  1850  Edwin  Booth  made  his 
"first  announced  appearance  on  the  stage,"  playing  Wilfred  to 
his  father's  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  in  "The  Iron  Chest."  Gcrge 
L.  Fox  made  his  metropolitan  debut  from  this  stage,  and  here 
Adah  Isaacs  Menken  was  seen  in  1859.  In  this  year  the  building 
was  partially  destroyed  by  fire  and  after  repairs  were  made  it 
opened  in  '61  under  the  name  of  the  National  Music  Hall,  with 
Fox  and  Curran.  In  1862  this  theatre  was  abandoned,  though  a 
portion  of  the  building  still  stands  and  is  used  for  commercial 
purposes. 


P.  T.  BARNUM'S  MUSEUM. 

In  December,  1841,  P.  T.  Barnum  purchased  the  contents  of 
Dr.  Scudder's  Museum  in  Chambers  street  and  removed  the  sam.e 

to  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  street,  adding  to 
1841       the    collection   that    of   the    New   York    Museum.      One 

of  his  first  exhibitions  was  the  "Fejee  Mermaid,"  ard 
the  following  year,  1842,  he  introduced  General  Tom  Thumb, 
having  secured  the  services  of  the  latter  for  the  sum  of  $3  per 
week,  including  board  for  himself  and  parents.  Later  the  Gen- 
eral's salary  was  increased  to  $7.  In  1854  Barnum  added  a  lec- 
ture hall  to  his  museum,  which  flourished  until  fire  destroyed  the 
building  in  1865,  after  which  catastrophe  Barnum  moved  to  539 
Broadway,  where  it  was  reopened  in  1865  as  Barnum  &  Van 
Amburgh's  Museum  and  Menagerie.  This  place  was  burned  in 
1868.  Tony  Pastor  sang  in  Barnum's  Museum  in  1846,  when  he 
was  eleven  years  old. 


fi- 


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OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        33 
NUMEROUS  HALLS  SPRING  UP. 

The  year  1840  marked  the  beginning  of  a  period  of  financial 
depression  in  America,  which  lasted  until  1845,  and  quite  nat- 
urally had  its  effect  in  the  theatrical  world.  During 
1840-45  this  time  there  were  no  theatres  of  moment  built  in 
New  York,  though  a  number  of  "halls"  sprang  up  in 
various  localities,  owing  to  the  minstrel  craze  which  was  about 
this  time  beginning  to  take  hold  of  the  public. 

Among  them  were  the  Chatham  Museum  (1841),  located  on 
Chatham  street,  just  above  Pearl,  which  enjoyed  but  a  brief  ex- 
istence; Concert  Hall  (1842),  at  404  Broadway,  which  was  occu- 
pied by  Barnum  in  '42  for  just  one  week  under  the  assumed 
name  of  Prof.  Griffith;  Teetoller's  Hall  (1842),  at  71  Division 
street,  where  Charles  T.  White  made  his  professional  debut;  The 
Cornucopia  (1843),  at  28  Park  Row,  distinguished  as  housing 
the  famous  Virginia  Minstrels,  and  Novelty  Hall  (1844),  at  the 
corner  of  Pearl  and  Centre  streets,  in  which  Luke  V/est  and 
several  of  his  contemporaries  made  their  professional  bows. 
Palmo's  Concert  Hall  was  a  small  hall  over  a  jeweler's  store  that 
flourished  in  the  early  40's.  Charlie  White's  Minstrels  appeared 
here  in  1843. 


CASTLE  GARDEN. 

This  brings  the  history   of  the   New   York  theatre   on  to  the 

days  of  Castle  Garden,  an  amusement  place  that  holds  rather  a 

unique  place  among  the  pages  of  local  record.     In  1845, 

1845  on  property  now  occupied  by  the  city  Aquarium  in 
Battery  Park,  Castle  Garden  was  opened,  and  for  ten 
years  devoted  itself  to  offering  the  best  of  music  and  musicians 
to  the  New  York  public.  Several  sessons  of  Italian  opera  were 
given  here,  and  here,  on  September  11,  1850,  Jenny  Lind  made 
her  sensational  American  debut  under  the  mansgemcnt  of  P.  T. 
Barnum.  September  7  the  sale  of  seats  for  her  concert  began, 
the  first  being  purchased  for  $225.  Miss  Lind  was  paid  $1,000 
per  night  for  her  services  (and  this  with  all  expenses  paid),  but 
the  receipts  of  her  first  concert  amounted  to  $17,864.05.  It  was 
also  in  Castle  Garden  that  Adelina  Patti  made  her  debut  at  the 
age  of  ten.  In  1854  the  original  building  was  burned  down  and 
afterward  rebuilt  and  renamed  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 
It  was  also  known  later  on  as  the  Winter  Garden  when  it  cam.e 
into    the    hands   of   William    Stuart,    Edv/in    Booth   and    John    S. 


34        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

Clark.  In  a  performance  of  "Julius  Caesar,"  on  November  25, 
1864,  the  three  Booth  brothers,  Edwin,  John  Wilkes  and  Junius 
Brutus,  played  together.  It  was  at  this  house  that  the  famous 
100  night  run  of  "Hamlet"  occurred.  The  theatre  was  destroyed 
by  fire  March,  1867. 

The  Pantheon  (1846),  a  small  house  on  Avenue  D,  near  Second 

street,  and  the  Pinteaux,  in  Duane  street  (1846),  were  devoted  to 

musical    entertainments    and    minstrel    shows.      White's 

1846  Melodeon,    53   Bowery,  was   opened   by   Charles   White 
November  24,   1846,  and  was  the  first  cheap  theatre  of 

any  importance  in  the  city,  the  charge  of  admittance  being  12^4 
cents  to  the  parquet  and  6V4  cents  to  the  gallery.  The  house 
was  chiefly  occupied  by  White's  Serenaders  and  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1847.  It  was  again  rebuilt  by  White  and  before  it  was 
finally  demolished  in  1849  was  destroyed  and  rebuilt  several 
times. 

In  1847   the  Minerva  Rooms,  460  Broadway,  were  opened  and 

sheltered  many  a  popular  minstrel  show.   Mechanic's  Hall,  located 

at  472  Broadway,  was  opened  in  1847  and  occupied  from 

1847  that  year  until   1857   by  Christy's   Minstrels.     Later  on 
White's  Minstrels  appeared  here,  and  in  1857  the  name 

of  the  house  was  changed  to  Butler's  American  Theatre.  The 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1886. 

The  Old  Broadway  Theatre  was  erected  in  1847  and  o'^ene'l  on 
September  27  of  that  year  with  "The  School  for  Scandal."  This 
theatre,  which  wculd  seat  4.000  persons,  was  located  on  the  east 
side  of  Broadway,  between  Pearl  and  Anthony  streets.  The  seats 
were  nothing  more  than  benches  without  any  supporting  back, 
yet  the  house  was  described  in  its  day  as  "one  of  the  best  ar- 
ranged places  of  am.usement  in  New  York,"  and  was  supposed 
to  have  been  mcdeled  after  the  Haym.arket  cf  London.  Here 
Edwin  Forrest  and  Macready  won  their  greatest  laurels.  In 
1859  the  building  was  torn  down  and  warehouses  erected  on  the 
property. 


ASTOR  PLACE  OPERA  HOUSE. 

The  Astor  Place  Cpca  House,  made  famous  to  history  through 

the  disgraceful  Macready  riot  which  occurred  there  in   1849,  was 

opened  to  the  public  November  22,   1847,  by  Sanquirico 

1847       and   Patti,  under  the  management   of  John   Sefton.     It 

was  never  a  success;  the  newspapers  of  the  city  were 

against   it  from  the  beginning,  though  its  failure  as  a  place  of 


hj    om 


o 


o 


llB'^Kidnay  I'licatre 

'  C   &.  MojihaJ] 8ol«  Lmm 

Thomas  Bftrn- .^. ........ ^gtme  Maoa^v 

tiSCONO  NIOHT  OF  --   — 

MR.  FORREST 

The  American  Tragedian. 


The  Maoagcr  ha.^  much  pIra«nro  in  anoouncioK  an  Engagement  for  a 
limited  number  of  nights,  wltn  the  aboTu  OcU-brated  Tragedian,  wbo  wlB 
make  hli  2nd  appear  ance,  in  Two  Tears,  In  the  populor  play  of 

RICHELIEU 

The  Cardinal by Mr.  Forrest 


I  ■rrreprtktvrf  for  tl)«  ■MMmniodal 


TiieMlay  Eveiiiiiju:,  ^^ept.  16th,    IH51 

RICIILIEU 

Or,  The  Conspiracy. 

BIOHBLXBU,  <  ""l'  '^1  M.  .  ...  ■    I...  .'..a  «(.!>.  ..ran,  K  ,..  :  ,.  ar» Mr.  FORREST 


The  CkvVftUrT  M^apr* 


>BdM)M  OD  \ttc  Kisf,  CO*  at  tba  Cotuplntora 

I'a  o«iUUuit 

BituaboM  a«Hi4,ft  spr 


liJfc., 


A  Grand  Pas  de  Denx^^La  Zingarella,  Orlcbratcd  Tip  Top 

Folka  •■ by    Sig.  Ncri  and  MHe.  AdeBna 

Orerttire  to  La  Hcinp  d'ua  Jo 

THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY.. 

■*  ThU  dniKMtir  rouii-MitioD  .Ic-'kIt.  tl-ii  huppy  lao<1.  nl'-hr&t'Di!  Ilic  fuiiHtrnar?  nt  >t>  polibul 
frredam.     Thr  fo-vJaun  ol' «-a(lv  in"rniti:.-;  ttuck   i>trill>-«  ftMir:  pn>]>)i' umoVv,  ilBtt  ri*dr<*t  witk 

)".  ..■  ':■.■■  h..  1..    I..   l..r..      in.  .1.'    0..    ,  .1.   ..-.n  I,,ft^-,.r  tlir  Vclcmn*  I«  hcurd ;   Ihi-  briU  n»|; 

-I.   ■  r.irkiiuct^r  wtii[M  and  jiai^tia^  ufbrlU;  • 

t  ri>inii»  nt~r  ibcir  murcti.     A  ■oddro  >l*>'i> 

.:  iViJir*;u  terrible  cr^h u  htvi:  fburei 

.   »n   |um  flit;   ihc  iltioitring  elemrat  i» 

Hail  Columb'.i  und  Yankee  Boodle- 


DOUBLE    BEDDED   ROOM 


M-.rl.,tl,,  Mr,  I..,,.-.,.  «,„1.,(F,  r..D».i.  llm^uo.  lVi..i..;  MAkolm.  I'..i..  Il.-,.i.  "iiS- 
W.lrV..  M..  IViM.lKr  .i„l  ll.irr>  r^ilr  tWbrlh.  Muii  IWilu  :  >rilb  Mv  ToiISI  WlM 
Uld  Ky  Old  Umbrella,    in'. I.    Mr  Ii,.,.liir .  r.-j.  »  hii.o,:  TcmpCu-  Sb.»  .  1*"'. 


Ml.  Foriut  wlu  .pp«.r  tnij  EveolDg  dorto(itt»  WMk^ 

Th*  N*w  F1«7  •/  PAUUm:.  Ui  n«*  ArU  an-l  H««Mi  TbMmwa.  a«  p>rl«BM4  i 

■  ulAb*^  MtaiM  ■!  LT*  PtiQMM     rb«BU«.  UMldM,  U  Ijl  MII»«"«1.  AiU     WlU  b»    fKl4 

v«l.   Haw    aod   .v^lMija    ag^aatj,   r«>liuB*l  '     " 

"  ijMBVK  s  f\KI,l,l  K    (,„  ,1,,  .,,„„„, 
«lai.»  J.r.rll,   ,.U,  IL,  r.„j„,l.  Ihr.  l-irr 

»o  WiwwT  Tak.n  .Ttfu  Boon.    Tlaiuti  to  b«  pmcliaMd  itttMBuC 


A  Play  Bill  of  1851 
]\Ir.  Edwin  Forrest  in  Richelieu 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        35 

amusement  dates  from  the  riot  of  '49.  William  Niblo  secured 
the  theatre  in  the  summer  of  1848.  when  a  series  of  performances, 
including  ballet,  farce,  opera,  comedy  and  tragedy,  were  given. 
It  was  in  May,  1849,  that  the  Macready  riot  occurred,  when  the 
audience  almost  demolished  the  place  in  expressing  disapproval 
for  the  English  actor  who  had  become  previously  involved  with 
Forrest  in  an  argument  regarding  their  respective  professional 
merits.  In  the  neighborhood  of  seventy-five  persons  were  killed 
and  seriously  wounded  on  this  occasion,  and  the  Cavalry  Guard 
was  finally  called  out  to  make  peace.  After  this  the  building  was 
rented  to  various  managers,  known  as  The  Theatre  Francaise  in 
1851,  and  in  1852  the  furniture  was  sold  at  auction  and  the  place 
remodeled  for  the  purpose  of  a  library. 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

MORE  HALLS  AND  MORE  THEATRES. 

In  1848  there  is  record  of  Stopanni  Hall,  396  Broadway,  and  in 

the  later  40's   one  Thalian   Hall   is   mentioned,  but   these   places 

were   little   more   than   side   issues   to   the    theatres   and 

1848      housed  for  the  most  part  a  few  cf  the  countless  minstrel 
shows  of  the  day. 

Trippler's  Hall,  however,  which  was  onened  October  17,  1850, 

with  Mme.  Anna  Bishop  as  the  attrsction,  was  one  of  the  largest 

music    halls   in    the    world,   and    erected   at   a    cost   cf 

1850  $100,000.  Its  location  was  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Broadway  and  Bond  street,  and  for  seventeen  years, 
from  1850  to  1867,  it  was  highly  successful,  not  the  least  import- 
ant event  taking  place  there  being  the  debut  in  this  country  of 
the  famous  French  actress,  Rachel.  In  1855  the  name  of  the 
house  was  changed  to  the  Metropolitan,  and  in  1855  Will- 
iam E.  Burton  secured  it  after  Laura  Kean  had  made  an  in- 
effective attempt  to  get  control,  and  called  it  Burton's  New 
Theatre.  Under  his  management  it  housed  all  the  famous  artists 
of  the  day,  including  Edwin  Booth,  Lawrence  Barrett,  Joseph 
Jefferson,  Charles  Barron,  Charles  Walcot,  C.  W.  Cauldock,  J. 
H.  Stoddart,  Kate  Bateman,  Rose  Eytinge,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Bowers 
and  Ida  Vernon.  In  1859  it  was  rechristened  the  New  Metro- 
politan Theatre.  On  March  23,  1867,  the  house  was  entirely 
destroyed  by  fire. 

Fellows'  Opera  House  and  Hall  of  Lyrics,  444  Broadway, 
opened  November.  1850,  with  a  minstrel  performance.  In  1853 
the  place  was  renamed  Christy  &  Wood's  Minstrel  Hall,  and 
was  occupied  for  a  time  by  the  minstrel  company  of  this  name. 
In  1860  it  was  called  Mrs.  Brougham's  Theatre,  later  the  Ameri- 
can Music  Hall,  and  in  1866  was  demolished  by  fire. 

36 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        37 

A  HOUSE  OF  MANY  NAMES. 

Brougham's  Lyceum  Theatre,  named  after  its  manager,  John 
Brougham,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  near  Broome 

street,  was  opened  in  1850  with  a  performance  of  "Es- 
1850      meralda."     Two  years  later  James  W.  Wallack  became 

its  manager,  opening  the  house  as  Wallack's  Theatre. 
Nine  years  later  (1861)  the  name  was  again  changed  to  that  of 
the  Broadway  Music  Hall,  opening  with  a  company  including 
Tony  Pastor,  Julia  Christine,  John  Mulligan  and  Billy  Birch. 
March  17,  1862,  the  namie  of  the  place  once  more  changed  to  that 
cf  Mary  Provost's  Theatre,  and  on  April  21  of  the  same  year 
George  L.  Fox  became  manager,  calling  it  George  L.  Fox's 
Olym.pic  Theatre.  In  1863  it  was  known  as  the  New  York  The- 
atre, and  the  next  manager  not  only  altered  the  name,  but  re- 
modeled the  interior,  installing  a  sav/dust  ring  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  equestrian  performances  and  for  a  time  the  building  was 
known  as  the  Broadway  Amphitheatre.  George  Wood,  a  Cin- 
cinnati manager,  took  possession  in  1864,  calling  it  the  Broadway 
Theatre,  under  which  name  it  sailed  until  in  1869,  after  many 
vicissitudes,  it  was  torn  down.  It  is  needless  to  state  that  under 
these  numerous  managers  a  great  variety  of  entertainments  were 
offered  the  public,  including  the  best,  and  occasionally  the  worst 
talent  of  its  day. 


ENDING  THE  FIRST  CENTURY. 

Thus  the  year  1850  closes  the  first  century  in  New  York's  the- 
atrical world,  the  first  theatre,  the  old  Nassau  Street  House,  hav- 
ing   been    erected    in    1750.      During    this    period    some 

1850  twenty-seven  theatres  and  no  less  than  a  dozen  "halls" 
of  more  or  less  importance  had  sprung  up  in  various 
Iccalities.  The  frequent  change  in  name  and  management  in 
connection  with  the  above  theatre,  first  known  as  Brougham's 
Lyceum,  perhaps  indicates  the  fickle  attitude  of  the  public  toward 
the  theatre  at  this  time.  The  old  tragic  drama  had  seen  its  best 
day  and  the  craze  for  mins'^relsy,  farce  and  burlesque  had  taken 
its  place,  with  rivalry  and  a  spirit  of  commercialism  rapidly  in- 
creasing among  managers,  while  theatres  and  amusement  houses 
were  now  beginning  to  grow  at  a  most  surprising  rate. 

Among  the  minor  halls  that  made  their  appearance  in  the  early 
50's  in  which  minstrel  shows  and  entertainments  of  light  nature 
were  given,  were  the  Art  Union  Rooms,  at  one  time  called  Union 


38        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

Concert  Hall,  located  on  Broadway,  between  Broome  and  Spring 
streets;  Old  Stuyvesant  Hall.  663  Broadway,  and  known  in  turn 
as  Academy  Hall,  Mozart  Hall,  and  Niblo's  Saloon,  a  place  used 
ior  concerts  and  exhibitions,  attached  to  Niblo's  Garden. 

Washington    Hall,   opened   in    1851,  was   located   at   598 

1851  Broadway.     In  1860  the  place  was  taken  over  by  Charlie 
White  and  known  as  White's  Opera  House. 

The  Coliseum,  448  Broadway,  was  opened  as  a  minstrel  hall 
in   1851. 

White's  Varieties,  at  19  Bowery,  opened  September  13,  1852. 
In  1853  the  building  was  remodeled  and  known  as  the  St.  Charles 
Theatre.     In  1853  it  was  converted  into  stores. 

1852  The  National  Hall,  29  Canal  street,  in  1852  was  a  place 
where  light  entertainments  were  offered. 

A  house  worthy  of  mention,  which  became  a  home  of  enter- 
tainment in  1853,  was  Hope  Chapel,  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
Broadway,  near  Eighth  street.    This  house  was  formerly 

1853  occupied  as  a  church.  In  1855  it  was  knovni  as  Donald- 
son's Opera  House;  in  1856  as  the  Academy  of  Min- 
strels, and  next  as  the  Broadway  Academy.  It  underwent  many 
changes,  until  May,  1856,  when  it  became  Kelly  6c  Leon's  The- 
atre, continuing  as  such  until  1872,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
It  was  here  that  high-priced  minstrelsy  was  first  introduced,  the 
admission  fee  being  $1.50.  In  1870,  at  the  -.lose  erf  Kelly  & 
Leon's  reign,  Lina  Edwards  leased  the  theat~e,  giving  it  her 
name. 

A  building  occupied  in  1853  by  Banvard's  Museum,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  exhibitions  was  located  at  596  Broadway.     After 
1857  it  was  known  as  the  Santa  Claus. 
1853       The    Crystal    Palace    was    a    decidedly    popular    amuse- 
ment  resort,  located   at   Forty-second   street  and   Sixth 
avenue.     It  covered  five  acres  of  ground.    The  sides  of  the  main 
building  were  made  of  glass  and  a  variety  of  entertainments  were 
given  under  its  roof.     On  the  opening  day,  in  1853,  twenty  thou- 
sand people  were  seated. 

The    Broadway    Museum    and     Menagerie,    at     337     Broadway, 

opened  in  1853,  and  was  known  principally  as  the  exhibition  place 

of  the  famous  Siamese  Twins.     It  was  closed  in   1854. 

1853       A  hall  formerly  known  as  the  Chinese  Rooms,  located 

at   539    Broadway,   was    converted    into    a    theatre   and 

opened    September    1,    1853,   under   the    management   of   Buckley 

and  known   as   The   Broadway   Casino.     It  was   also    known   as 

Buckley's  Music  Hall,  and  later  as  the  Melodeon.   Burlesque  opera 

was  the   order  of  entertainment.     In   1864  the  house  was  closed 

and  rebuilt  by  Barnum,  who  gave  it  the  name  of  Barnum's  New 


First  -Nis'''  "f  ''"'  G-reat  Tiagedian 


Mr.  BOOTH 


rftitma  1-  ■>  .'.f  'b^ 


Notice  to  the  Public. 

*,  he  ha.'*  laJ'iiiMe  hiuOTABd  l>Ttrad  of  "'  ^   ^'^' 

H4RR1  Bl  ».MIA>I, 

UllMOTfMGEDIAN 

NF    DOOIH    wl.v   ■■■■li      .;■-..■  .ir  .,1  ,■   r  ,     i-.-.r     ■.^r,.-,■,t    K  >  V  ,-.r  ;• "  ,'m  ■       ■ ..  f  -      -.   .  \   .;■     -.af    ...■.-■     .:oii     j-    il. 

ITlomlay  EYeniiis,  Harrli  lilsU  IHM, 

Kilts  Lear 

KING  LEAP -     -     _     MR.  BOOTH. 

l^.\B.iiiJ ■'  '-'.x     ..  r       y  Mr     rirtilM 


rhDaij»«on         Old  :5hi'pp«n 
U'-nn        2nd    Knight 


Mr«  H  P  lire 
.  Watting  MeMimi.v^  Ea 


Mi4£  E   MralA/er 
IroDff,  Miyur.  Mi'.!«7',  Btahi^ 


I  OI»l  l>AK  l)V.\('K., 


.MISS3I  Vl.\  INA 


M:(.i  f  KMWycr 

(h     ..    Mi     H   P  r..-«-.a 
TtTr*  Hauloow»llo 


On  Mondav  Next,  revival  of  HABRr  BaBNHABT. 


Opening  Play  Bill  of  Air.  Booth  in  King  Lear 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        39 

Museum,    offering    performances    every    afternoon    and    evening. 
This  place  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  March  3,  1868. 

Maze  Garden  opened  July,  1853.   This  garden  covered  two  acres 
of  ground  on  Forty  second  street,  near  Fifth  avenue.    The  princi- 
pal feature  of  attraction  was  a  mysterious  maze  built  of 
1853       shrubbery   in   reproduction   of   one   at   Hampton    Court. 

Band  concerts  were  given  here  daily. 
Another  popular  place  of  amusement  that  made  its  appearance 
in  the  year   1853  was   Fi^anconi's   Hippodrome,  at  Twenty-third 
street  and  Broadway.    The  amphitheatre  held  four  thou- 

1853  sand  people  and  the  nature  of  the  entertainment  offered 
consisted  of  sports  of  the  Roman  Circus,  chariot  races, 

etc.     In  1854  the  building  was  torn  down  to  make  way  for  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel. 

In  1854  White's  Opera  House,  49  Bowery,  was  opened,  August 
7,  under  the  management  of  Charles  White,  with  his  famous  min- 
strel company.     This  house  had  the  reputation  of  enter- 

1854  taining  oftener  during  its  career  than  any  other  place  of 
amusement  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FOURTEENTH  STREET  BECOMES  POPULAR. 

In  1854  what  was  considered  a  radical  departure  in  the  local 

theatrical  world   occurred    when    Fourteenth  street    and    Irving 

place   was  selected   as  a   suitable   location   for  the   new 

1854  Academy  of  Music.  This  site  was  considered  too  far 
out  by  a  large  portion  of  the  public,  unable  to  get  away 
from  the  idea  that  Houston  street  was  still  the  Rialto.  The 
stage  of  the  Academy  was  pointed  to  then,  as  it  is  to-day,  as 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  and  the  entire  equipment  was 
modern  and  up  to  date,  having  been  built  at  a  cost  of  $335,000. 
The  opening  bill,  October  2,  was  "Norma,"  sung  by  an  Italian 
opera  troupe,  and  the  regular  price  of  parquet  seats  the  first  sea- 
son was  $3.  For  thirty  years  this  theatre  was  the  home  of  grand 
opera  in  New  York,  alternated  with  Shakespearian  revivals.  All 
the  famous  songbirds  of  the  past  generation  have  sung  under  its 
roof,  including  such  favorites  as  Adelina  Patti,  Parepa  Rosa, 
Christine  Nilsson,  Annie  Louise  Gary,  Pauline  Lucca,  lima  Di 
Murska,  Eugenie  Papoenheim,  Etelka  Gerster,  Emma  Nevada, 
Bellini,  Karl  Formes,  Campanini,  Del  Puente,  Ravelli,  and  scores 
of  others.  This  theatre,  owing  to  its  size,  was  always  used  by 
the  famous  foreign  stars. 

About  1886  opera  was  abandoned  here,  and  there  followed  a 
period  when  every  sort  of  piay  was  seen.  At  present  the 
house  is  occupied  principally  by  a  stock  company,  offering  a 
weekly  change  of  bill. 

Buckley's   Hall,   perhaps  better   remembered  by   old-timers   ns 

"No.  585."  was  located  at  this  number  on  Broadway  and  opened 

in    August,    1856.      It    was    at    "585"    that    Tony    Pastor 

1856  reigned  for  a  time,  after  Buckley's  day,  and  it  was  here 
that  Francis  Wilson  came  into  popular  favor;  that  Lil- 
lian Russell  made  her  bow  to  New  York,  singing  that  touching 
little  ballad  entitled  "Kiss  Me,  Mother,  'Ere  I  Die";  that  Nat 
Goodwin,  Evans  &  Hoey,  and  May  and  Flo  Irwin  were  launched. 

40 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        41 

In  1856  Buckley's  Serenaders  occupied  the  building,  in  '57  it 
was  opened  as  the  New  Olympic,  in  '59  renamed  the  Olympic, 
and  then  called  Canterbury  Hall,  until  Fox  &  Ward  took  pos- 
session, rechristening  it  the  Palace  of  Mirrors.  In  succession  it 
was  named  the  Broadway  Theatre,  St.  Nicholas  Hall,  Heller's 
Saloon  Diabolique,  San  Francisco  Minstrel  Hall  (1865-70),  and 
in  1870  Charles  T.  White  assumed  management,  giving  it  his 
name.  In  187^  the  Worrell  Sisters  appeared  on  the  scene,  calling 
the  house  Worrell  Sisters'  Theatre.  Again,  in  '73,  it  became  the 
Metropolitan  Theatre,  and  in  1873,  under  Tony  Pastor's  direc- 
tion, it  was  known  as  Tony  Pastor's  Theatre  for  eight  years.  It 
was  during  this  period  that  what  is  now  known  as  polite  vaude- 
ville developed.  In  1883  the  building,  after  knowing  perhaps 
more  managers  and  names  than  any  other  amusement  place  in 
town,  and  after  having  sheltered  all  sorts  of  talent  and  entertain- 
ment, was  altered  into  stores  for  commercial  use. 

Atlantic   Gardens,   50    Bowery,   for  half  a   century   one   of  the 

famous   East   Side   amusement   places,   was   founded  in    1856   by 

William  Kramer  on  property  formerly  known  as  Bull's 

1856  Head  Tavern.  It  was  a  family  place,  where  the  Bo- 
hemians loved  to  gather  at  night,  and  a  m.an  could  take 
his  wife  and  children  in  perfect  confidence.  It  was  here  that 
Edwin  Booth  loved  to  come  and  sip  his  beer  after  the  theatre. 
After  the  war  it  was  the  first  place  of  entertainment  in  the  city 
to  be  lighted  with  electricity.  A  theatre  offering  variety  attrac- 
tions was  a  feature  of  the  garden,  and  many  prominent  on  the 
stage  to-day  have  played  there  at  various  times.  After  the  death 
of  Kramer,  senior,  the  garden  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  two 
sons,  William  Kramer,  Jr.,  and  Albert,  who  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness until  October  1,  1910,  when  the  place  passed  out  of  exist- 
ence as  an  old-time  landmark  and  was  converted  into  a  Yiddish 
Theatre.    In  the  fall  of  1911  the  buildings  were  torn  down. 

The  theatre  known  as  Laura  Kean's  Varieties,  624  Broadway, 

was  built  in  1856  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.     It  was  opened  in  this  year 

under  Miss  Kean's  management  with  a  performance  of 

1856  "As  You  Like  It,"  and  continued  under  her  direction 
until  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country,  brought  on 
by  the  Civil  War,  made  theatrical  business  uncertain  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  After  Miss  Kean  retired  from  the  management  of 
the  house  it  was  known  for  a  time  as  Jane  English's  Theatre; 
then  it  was  taken  over  by  Mrs.  John  Wood,  who  named  it  Mrs. 
Wood's  Olympic  Theatre.  Its  last  owner  was  Frank  Mayo.  In 
1880  the  house  was  demolished,  but  during  its  days  of  popularity 
a  notable  array  of  talent  and  productions  were  presented  under 
its  roof.     Among  the  list  of  prominent  actors  and  actresses  who 


42        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

at  one  time  or  another  played  there  appear  the  names  of  E.  A. 
Sothern,  Charles  Wheatley,  Stuart  Robson,  Joseph  Jefferson,  J. 
H.  Stoddart,  George  Jordan,  Milnes  Levick,  John  T.  Raymona, 
C.  W.  Couldock,  Frank  Bangs,  Agnes  Robertson,  Mary  Wells, 
lone  Burke  and  Sara  Stevens. 

Peter  Morris*  Varieties,  at  210  William  street,  opened  June  27, 

1857.     Hitchcock's  Summer  Garden,   172  Canal  street,  appeared 

June  5,  1857,  admission  charge  being  6  cents,  including 

1857  refreshments. 

A  famous  hall  in  its  day  was  Henry  Wood's  Marble 
Hall,  at  561  Broadway.  The  building  was  of  marble  and  seated 
about  two  thousand.  It  was  opened  October  15,  1857,  and  closed 
July,  1877.  Minstrel  shows  and  concerts  constituted  the  nature 
of  its  offerings. 

Hoym's  Theatre,  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  Bowery,  at 
Spring  street,  was  one  that  knew  great  popular  favor  in  the  late 

fifties.     It  was  opened  in  1858  with  entertainments  of  a 

1858  nondescript   sort  and   prospered   fairly  well   until    1865, 
when  Tony  Pastor  assumed  the  management,  calling  it 

Tony  Pastor's  Opera  House,  and  for  ten  years  made  it  the  most 
popular  variety  house  in  the  city.  In  1883  Harry  Miner  remod- 
eled the  place  and  became  its  manager,  changing  the  name  to  the 
People's  Theatre,  and  for  sixteen  years  it  was  conducted  as  a 
"combination"  house,  with  a  weekly  change  of  bill,  given  by 
traveling  organizations.  But  eleven  years  ago  the  inevitable 
change  set  in  and  the  Yiddish  drama  has  held  the  stage  since. 

The  Adelphi  Hall,  at  Spring  and  Crosby  streets,  was  a  small 
hall  that  made  its  appearance  in  January,  1858,  and  entertainments 
of  light  variety  were  the  order  of  its  day. 

On  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Fourteenth  Street  Theatre, 

Fourteenth  street    and    Sixth    avenue,    the  Palace    Garden    was 

opened  with  a  series  of  concerts  in  1858.     About  1863 

1858  the  name  of  the  place  was  changed  to  Nixon's  Cre- 
monne  Gardens.  It  was  here  that  pantomime  was  first 
given  in  New  York  on  an  extensive  scale. 


THE  NEW  BOWERY. 

The  next  theatre  of  importance  to  be  built  was  the  New  Bow- 
ery Theatre,  located  on  the  Bowery  between  Canal  and  Hester 
streets,   two   blocks   above   the    Old    Bowery.        It   waa 
1859       opened  in  September,    1859,  under  the  management   of 
George   L.   Fox   and   James   W.   Lingford.     In   general 
appearance  the  house  resembled  the  Old  Bowery,  and  for  a  period 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        43 

of  seven  years  it  offered  the  public  a  variety  of  entertainment. 
In  1866  this  theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  never  rebuilt. 

A  hall  used  in  the  50's  as  a  concert  hall  and  ballroom  was 
located  on  the  west  side  of  Irving  Place  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth 
street  and  known  as  Irving  Hall.  In  1877  it  was  renamed  the 
Grand  Central,  and  in  1888,  when  Gustave  Amberg,  former  man- 
ager of  the  Thalia  (Old  Bowery)  took  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty he  erected  a  new  building,  christening  it  the  Amberg  The- 
atre. During  his  regime  a  series  of  German  performances  were 
given.  In  1893  the  name  of  the  house  was  changed  to  that  of 
the  Irving  Place  Theatre. 

A  place  called  the  Fifth  Avenue  Music  Hall,  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Twenty-third  street  and  Broadway,  was  opened 

1860  December  25,  1860.  In  1867  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Union  Music  Hall. 

Eustache's  Theatre,  at  Fourth  street  and  First  avenue,  appeared 
in  1860.  It  was  next  known  as  the  Theatre  Oriental,  but  its 
existence  was  short. 

In  1851  James  W.  Wallack,  observing  the  tendency  of  theatre- 

dom    to    move    northward,    erected    a    theatre    at    the    corner    of 

Broadway  and  Thirteenth  street  bearing  his  name,  and 

1861  for  twenty  years  Wallack's  Theatre  was  the  most  famous 
amusement  house  in  the  United  States.  Although  the  place  was 
opened  under  the  management  of  James  W.  Wallack,  after  his 
death  in  1864  J.  Lester  Wallack  came  into  control,  and  this  the- 
atre became  the  home  of  a  stock  company  which  has  since  been 
equalled  only  by  Augustin  Daly's  company  of  players.  It  was 
here  that  Ellen  Terry,  Henry  Irving  and  Wilson  Barrett  made 
their  American  debuts.  In  1881  the  Wallack  company,  moving 
elsewhere,  this  theatre  was  given  over  to  German  performances 
for  a  time,  and  in  '83  it  was  called  the  Star  Theatre,  which  it 
retained  until  its  demolition  in  1901. 

In  the  year  1861  a  hall  known  as  Dodsworth  Hall  sheltered  the 
popular  minstrel  shows  and  housed  musical  lectures. 

Wood's  Minstrel  Hall  made  its  appearance  at  514  Broadway  in 

1862  in  a  building  formerly  occupied  as  a  Jewish  Synagogue.     In 

1866  the  house  was  reconstructed  and  renamed  Wood's 

1862  Theatre.    In  1867  it  was  called  the  German  Thalia  The- 
atre.    For  a  time  it  was  also  known  as  Lingard's  The- 
atre, then  it  became  Wood's  Theatre  Comique,  a  name  which  at 
last  dwindled  into  the  Theatre  Comique. 

A  theatre  called  The  Jerome,  at  Twenty-sixth  street  and  Madi- 
son avenue,  was  also  a  smah  theatre  that  flourished  in  the  early 
sixties. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
PERIOD  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

The  Civil  War  of  1862  naturally  had  a  depressing  effect  upon 
theatrical  enterprises  and  for  a  time  no  theatres  of  importance 
were  built  in  New  York. 

In  1863  Nixon's  Alhambra,  a  somewhat  temporary  affair,  ap- 
peared on  the  south  side  of  Fourteenth  street.  Its  existence  came 
to  an  end  the  same  year,  though  during  its  short  run  it 

1863  housed  some   of  the  best  players  of  the  day.     In   1864 
The  Hippotheatren  sprang  up  on  this  site.     The  build- 
ing, fashioned  after  the  Champs  Elysees  of  Paris,  was  110  feet  in 
diameter  and   heated  by   steam.     The   performances   given   here 
were  principally  equestrian  exhibitions  and  circuses. 

In   1864  what  in  late  years  has  been   known  as  the  Windsor 

Theatre,  at  43  Bowery,  was  built  by  a  company  of  Germans  and 

christened   the   Stadt.     In    1878  it  Wcts  rechris^ened   the 

1864  Windsor,  a  name  it  bore  for  many  years  while  it  was 
the  home  of  traveling  companies  playing  short  engage- 
ments.    The  building  was  torn  down  in  1910. 

A  house  with  a  career  that  constitutes  a  history  in  itself,  and 

first  known  as  The   Broadway   Athenaeum,  was  located   at   734 

Broadway,  opposite  Waverly  Place.     The  building  for- 

1865  merly  known  as  the  Church  of  the  Messiah,  was  con- 
verted into  a  theatre  and  opened  January  23,  1865,  with 

James  H.  Hackett  featured.  The  same  year  it  was  renamed  Lucy 
Rushton's  Theatre.  The  following  year  it  was  closed  for  a  time 
under  Government  orders  and  reopened  as  the  New  York  Theatre 
when  McKee  Rankin  made  his  bow  to  the  public  in  "A  Regular 
Fix."  May,  1867,  it  was  called  the  Worrell  Sister's  Theatre,  in 
1868  was  known  as  the  New  York  Theatre  again,  and  in  1870 
appeared  as  The  Globe,  offering  a  variety  of  entertainments. 
October,  1872,  the  house  came  under  the  management  of  John 
Stetson.  Next  Harrigan  and  Hart  took  a  hand  in  its  destiny 
and  then  it  became  Nixon's  Amphitheatre.  In  1873  it  was  called 
The  Broadway  Theatre  and  the  same  year  Augustin  Daly  had 
his  company  housed  under  its  roof,  when  it  was  known  as  Daly's 

44 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        45 

Broadway  Theatre.  When  Daly  retired  in  1874  George  H.  Tyler 
took  upon  himself  the  management  of  the  place,  giving  it  the 
name  of  Fox's  Theatre,  with  George  L.  Fox  featured.  This  same 
year,  under  the  management  of  Robert  Butler,  the  name  was 
again  changed  to  the  Globe  Theatre.  In  1877  it  was  called 
Heller's  Theatre,  and  a  few  months  later  (July  30)  it  bore  the 
name  of  George  Wood's  Theatre,  with  Denman  Thompson  as 
the  attraction.  Again  in  1877  it  was  known  as  Bryant's  Opera 
House — this  was  in  September — and  in  December  it  was  once 
more  rechristened,  this  time  as  The  National  Theatre.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1879,  it  was  called  The  Broadway  Novelty  House,  and  in 
1881  bore  the  name  of  The  Theatre  Comique.  December  23, 
1884,  after  a  stormy  career,  it  was  demolished  and  never  rebuilt. 
It  was  in  this  house  that  Clara  Morris  created  such  a  sensational 
stir  by  her  new  school  of  emotional  acting  in  "Alixe"  and  "Made- 
lin  Morel." 

On  November  30,  1865,  a  building  formerly  occupied  as  a  stock 

exchange,   located   in   Twenty-fourth    street,   between    Broadway 

and  Sixth  avenue,  was  opened  as  the  Fifth  Avenue  Opera 

1865  House,  though  the  following  year  it  was  called  the  Fifth 
Avenue   Theatre.      In    1869   John   Brougham   leased   the 

house,  calling  it  Brougham's  Theatre,  It  knew  various  managers 
at  one  time  and  another,  including  Augustin  Daly  (also  Daly's 
FiSjh  Avenue  Theatre),  who  was  its  occupant  from  1869  to  Jan- 
uary, 1873,  when  fire  destroyed  the  building.  In  1877  or  1878 
it  was  rebuilt  and  renamed,  in  turn,  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hall  and 
Minnie  Cumming's  Drawing  Room.  In  1879  it  was  opened  as 
the  Madison  Square  Theatre,  Steele  Mackaye  then  being  man- 
ager. It  was  here  that  "Hazel  Kirke,"  "Esmeralda,"  "Young 
Mrs.  Winthrop,"  "Jim  the  Penman,"  "Aunt  Jack"  and  "Alham- 
bra"  were  first  produced.  In  1891  Charles  T.  Hoyt  assumed 
managership,  calling  it  Hoyt's  Theatre.  One  of  the  last  per- 
formances given  under  its  roof  included  among  its  entertainers 
Herbert  K»elcey  and  Effie  Shannon,  Guy  Bates  Post,  Annie  and 
Jennie  Yeamans,  Willie  Collier  and  several  others  whose  names 
are  prominent  on  the  boards  to-day. 

The  Temple  of  Music,  at  Grand  and  Crosby  streets,  was  opened 
November,  1865,  and  later  known  as  the  Grand  Street  Theatre. 
It  closed,  however,  the  following  year. 

The  Theatre   Francais,   now  known  as  the   Fourteenth   Street 

Theatre,   was   built   in    1866    on   property   located    in   Fourteenth 

street  just  west  of  Sixth  avenue,  and  formerly  occupied 

1866  by  the   Palace   or  Crerronian  Gardens.     At  first  it  was 
devoted   entirely  to   the     "rench   drama.     In    1871,  how- 
ever, the  management  and  name  were  changed,  and  for  a  time 


46        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

it  was  called  The  Lyceum  Theatre.  This  same  year  the  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire  and  rebuilt.  Again  in  1879  it  was  known 
as  Haverly's  Theatre,  and  in  1886,  under  Bartley  Campbell's 
management,  the  house  became  the  Fourteenth  Street  Theatre, 
a  name  it  has  borne  to  the  present  time.  This  was  the  home  of 
popular  melodrama — "The  Still  Alarm,"  "Blue  Jeans,"  "Darkest 
Russia,"  "Lost  River"  and  such — but  in  1908  it  adopted  the  pres- 
ent-day policy  of  vaudeville  and  moving  pictures. 

Steinway  Hall,  located  at  71  East  Fourteenth  street,  was  a 
famous   concert  hall  erected  by   Steinway   &   Sons,  and 

1866  opened  October  31,  1866.  It  is  to-day  used  as  a  display 
room  by  Steinway  &  Co. 


FAMOUS  "DALY'S"  WAS  ONCE  MUSEUM. 

Where  Daly's  Theatre  now  stands,  at  1221  Broadway,  in  1867 

there  flourished  Banvard's  Museum,  which  was  the  first  building 

erected   especially   for  this   purpose.     It   was   originally 

1867  built  with  a  small  auditorium  seating  200  persons.  In 
1868  George  Woods  took  over  the  management  of  the 
house,  and  for  a  time  it  was  known  as  Woods'  Museum  and 
Metropolitan  Theatre.  In  1877  it  was  renamed  The  Broadway, 
and  in  1879,  when  Augustin  Daly  took  possession,  it  became 
Daly's  Theatre,  and  during  the  twenty  years  that  he  and  Ada 
Rehan  held  sway  there  it  was  the  undisputed  center  of  New 
York's  theatrical  activities.  At  present  the  house  is  under  the 
m.anagement  of  the  Shubert  Brothers,  who  came  into  control  in 
1906. 

Lyric  Hall,  popular  to-day  as  a  rehearsal  hall,  at  723  Sixth 
avenue,  was  opened  in   November,   1867. 

Bunyan    Hall  was   a   small   affair   at    Broadway   and   Fifteenth 

street,  which  opened  October  14,  1867.    This  same  year  in  May  a 

hall  called  Chase's  Hall  appeared  at  Eighth  avenue  and 

1867  Thirty-fourth  street.     Its  offering  was  a  light  class  of 
variety.     During  the  year  of  its  existence  the  name  was 

changed  to  the  Eighth  Avenue  Opera   House. 

The  house  now  known  as  the  Grand   Opera   House,  Twenty- 
third   street   and   Eighth   avenue,   was   at   first   christened    Pike's 
Opera    House   and   was   erected   in    1868.     This   theatre 

1868  was   by  far   the   most  magnificent  that  had   so   far   ap- 
peared in   New  York,   and   its  six   rows  of  proscenium 

boxes,  immense  parquet,  parquet  circle,  dress  circle  and  family 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        47 

circle  still  bear  evidence  of  a  past  grandeur.  For  many  years  this 
was  the  home  of  Italian  opera,  though  of  late  it  has  been 
given  over  to  all  kinds  of  plays  that  appear  in  town  for  a  short 
run.  Cohan  and  Harris  are  the  present  managers,  having  taken 
possession  September  4,  1910. 

Allemaina  Hall  made  its  appearance  on     Sixteenth    street,  be- 
tween Broadway  and  Fifth  avenue,  in  1868.     It  was  at  first  used 
as  a  dance  hall,  but  later  turned  into  a  theatre  known  as 
1868       Robinson's  Hall.     About  the  year  1872  it  was  renamed 
The  Bijou  and  in   1874  became  The  Parisian  Varieties. 
In  1876  its  name  was  changed  to  The  Criterion,  and  in  1877  to 
The  Sixteenth  Street  Theatre,  when  "Sarah's  Young  Men"  and 
"Forty  Thieves"  appeared  on  its  boards.     It  bore  this  name  until 
the  building  was  turned  into  the  Mechanic's  Hall  and  Library, 
which  it  continued  to  be  until  the  year  1890. 
Pike's  Music  Hall  was  a  small  hall  attached  to  Pike's  Opera 
House,  with  entrance  on  Twenty-third  street.    The  first 
1868      entertainment  given  here  took  place  September  7,  1868. 

It  was  known  later  as  Grand  Opera  Hall. 
Bryant's  Minstrel  Hall,  on  the  north  side  of  Fourteenth  street 
between  Irving  Place  and  Fourth  avenue,  was  a  part  of  the  lower 
floor  of  Tammany   Hall.     The  building  was  erected  in 
1868       1867  and  Bryant's  Minstrels  made  their  first  appearance 
here  May  18,  1868.     In  1874  the  hall  became  known  as 
the   Germania  Theatre.     Later,  when   Tony  Pastor  leased  it,   it 
became  famous  as  Tony   Pastor's  New  Fourteenth  Street  The- 
atre.   It  was  here  that  Flo  and  May  Irwin,  Lillian  Russell,  Frank 
Girard,  W.  S.  Marks,  and  many  others  prominent  in  the  theatrical 
world   to-day    got   their   start.      After   Tony    Pastor's    reign    the 
house   was   called   The    Olympic   Theatre,   a    name   it   retains   at 
present  under  the  ownership  of  Messrs.  Sullivan  and  Kraus. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  OLD  BOOTH  THEATRE. 

Where    McCreery's   store   now  stands   in   Twenty-third   street, 

near  Sixth  avenue,  Booth  erected  a  theatre  which  he  named  after 

himself  and  which,  from  the  opening  day,  February  3, 

1869  1869,  until  it  was  torn  down  in  1883,  was  devoted  almost 
wholly   to    Shakespearian  plays   and   spectacular   pieces. 

Booth  lost  a  great  deal  cf  money  in  this  venture  and  retired  from 
the  m.anagement  of  th^  housi   in  1873. 

Bryant's   Opera  House,  located  on  the  north  side  of  Twenty- 
third  street,   west   cf   Sixth  avenue,  was  a   hall   opened   by   Dan 
Bryant,   November  23,    1870.      Bryant's    Minstrels    was 

1870  the     attraction     during    the    first     season.      August    23, 
1871,  its  name  was  changed  to  Darling's  Opera  House. 

December  13,  1875,  it  was  called  the  Twenty-third  Street  The- 
atre; November  5,  1877,  the  Theatre  Francaise;  May,  1878, 
The  St.  James  Theatre  and  Theatre  of  Arts.  May  5, 
1879,  the  house  came  under  the  management  of  Koster 
and  Bial,  when  it  was  remodeled  and  called  Koster  and 
Bial's  Concert  Hall.  December  2,  1895,  it  was  closed  for  a  time 
and  reopenei  as  a  lecture  room.  November  3,  1879,  it  was  re- 
named the  G'amercy  Lyceum,  when  vaudeville  was  offered,  and 
again  in  1899  it  was  called  The  Bon  Ton  Music  Hall.  About 
1904  the  hall  as  a  home  of  entertainment  ceased  to  exist.  For 
several  years  it  was  used  as  a  gymnasium  and  bowling  alley,  and 
was  then  converted  in  o  a  furniture  store. 

On  property  now  occup'ed  by  r?ilrcad  buildings,  at  Third  ave- 
nue and  130th  street,  the  Harlem  Music  Hall  was  opened  Decem. 
'  ber  12,  1870.    Tn  1882,  under  the  management  of  Hamil- 

1870  ton  and  Chandler,  the  house  became  known  as  The  Mt. 
Morris  Theatre.  The  last  performance  given  here  took 
place  in  1885. 

Apollo    Hall,    located    on    Twenty-eighth   street,   just   west    of 

48 


Bowery  Theatre,  1859 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        49 

Broadway,  was  opened  October  16,  1871.    In  1871  it  was  known 

as    Newcomb's    Hall,   and   later   became    the    St.    James 
1871       Theatre.     Vaudeville   was   the   chief   attraction,   though 

it  was  here  that  Steele  Mackaye  made  his  debut  as  an 
actor  in  1872.  The  building  was  demolished  in  1873,  when  the 
Gilsey  estate  erected  a  more  modern  theatre  on  the  property. 

The  Union  Square  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of  Union  Square, 
between  Broadway  and  Fourth  avenue,  was  erected  in   1871   on 

a  site  formerly  occupied  by  a  hotel.    The  house,  equipped 
1871       with    all    the    modern    improvements    of    the    day,    was 

opened  under  the  management  of  Robert  W.  Butler, 
September  11  of  this  year  (1871).  The  names  of  Harrigan  and 
Hart,  John  Mulligan,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Davenport,  James  O'Neill,  Kate 
Girard,  stand  out  prominently  in  the  making  of  its  history.  It 
was  here  that  Chauncey  Olcott  made  his  debut  in  romantic  opera. 
In  1893  the  theatre  was  taken  over  by  B.  F.  Keith,  who  for  five 
years  managed  it  as  a  high-class  vaudeville  house,  known  as 
Keith's  Union  Square  Theatre.  Then  for  a  number  of  years  it 
was  given  over  to  motion  pictures,  stock  and  light  variety.  Few 
changes  have  been  made  in  the  house,  which  stands  to-day  prac- 
tically as  it  was  built  in  1871.  High  class  vaudeville  is  the  order 
of  the  present  day. 

In  1871  the  Thirty-fourth  Street  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of 
Thirty-fourth   street,   made   its   appearance.      In    1872   it   became 

known  as  Shay's  Opera  House,  under  the  management 

1871  of  Charley  Shay.    In  1874  the  name  was  changed  to  that 
of  Jack   Berry's    Opera    House.     The   last   performance 

was  seen  here  in  1876. 

The   Haymarket,   at  the  corner   of  Thirtieth   street  and   Sixth 

avenue,   holds   a   place   by  itself   in  the   history    of   New   York's 

amusement  resorts.     For  forty  years  it  was  known  as 

1872  the    playground    of    the    metropolitan    Tenderloin,    al- 
though it  started  out  with  the  purest  intentions,  having 

been  originally  built  for  the  purpose  of  a  huge  bath,  known  at 
first  as  Carlberg's  Baths.  It  was  also  known  for  a  short  period 
as  The  Argyle.  In  1872  it  was  opened  as  a  center  of  gay  and 
festive  entertainm.ent  by  "Billy"  McMahon,  who  dubbed  it  The 
Haymarket.  Its  bright  walls  and  polished  floor  have  witnessed 
the  tripping  feet  of  all  the  dancing  fads  that  have  come  and 
gone  during  the  years  of  its  existence.  Under  the  regime  of 
McMahon  it  saw  its  palmiest  days  as  the  mayfair  of  the  rich  and 
poor,  the  bank  breaker  and  the  pickpocket.  Time  and  again  it 
was  closed  only  to  reopen  in  a  fresh  blaze  of  glory.  McMahon 
retired,  with  a  fortune  that  ran  into  millions,  in  1890,  and  then 
for  a  time   The   Haymarket  became   a   swimming  pool,   a   men- 


50        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

agerie,  and  the  home  of  freaks.  For  seven  years  it  bore  the 
name  of  Worth's  Museum,  after  which  it  resumed  its  former 
name  of  The  Haymarket,  and  with  iloors  remodeled  and  waxed, 
little  tables  installed  along  the  walls,  the  mezzanine  galleries 
redecorated  and  refurnished,  it  assumed  something  of  its  former 
"atmosphere,"  with  Ed  Corey,  erstwhile  bartender,  backed  by  Al 
Adams,  the  Policy  King,  at  its  head.  In  1903  Corey  resigned, 
with  pockets  bulging,  and  the  property  was  turned  over  to  Charles 
Noonan,  who  ran  it  along  the  old  lines  until  1911,  when  the 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Amusements  and  Vacation  Re- 
sources for  Working  Girls  insisted  on  having  the  dance  hall 
license  taken  away  and  The  Haymarket,  in  its  old-time  character, 
undoubtedly  passed  away. 

On  the  site  formerly  occupied  by  Apollo  Hall,  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Twenty-eighth  street,  the  Fifth  Ave- 
nue Theatre  made  its  appearance  in  1873,  opening  De- 

1873  cember  3.  Augustin  Daly  was  the  first  lessee  of  the 
house,  offering  standard  stock  until  1877.  August  23, 
1880  it  came  under  the  management  of  Haverly,  when  for  a  time 
it  was  known  as  Haverly's  Fifth  Avenue.  September  11,  1882, 
under  the  management  of  John  Stetson,  it  became  Stetson's  Fifth 
Avenue,  then  it  was  leased  by  Tompkins,  May,  1888,  when  it 
bore  his  name  until  it  was  changed  to  Miner's  Fifth  Avenue  The- 
atre, August  25,  1890.  As  late  as  1900  it  was  devoted  to  dramatic 
performances.  In  this  year,  however,  it  came  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Messrs.  Keith  and  Proctor,  who  turned  it  into  a  variety 
house.  In  1901  popular-priced  stock  was  installed,  which  con- 
tinued five  years.  It  is  now  known  as  Proctor's  Fifth  Avenue 
Theatre,  where  weekly  a  change  of  high-class  vaudeville  is  offered 
under  the  management  of  F.  F.  Proctor. 

The    Hippodrome,   a   building  covering  property   on   the   west 

side  of  Fourth  avenue  between  Twenty-sixth  and  Twenty-seventh 

streets,  fomerly  used  as  a  railroad  station  and  shipping 

1873  office  by  the  New  York.  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Rail- 
road, became  a  popular  amusement  resort  in  1873,  when 
B.  T.  Barnum,  in  company  with  several  others,  leased  it  for  en- 
tertainment and  exhibition  purposes.  May  29,  1875.  Gilmore,  the 
famous  bandmaster,  secured  control,  calling  the  place  Gilmore's 
Garden,  when  he  offered  a  series  of  concerts.  May  31,  1879,  the 
place  first  became  known  to  the  public  as  Madison  Square  Gar- 
den. In  1889  a  company  was  formed  with  a  view  of  erecting  a 
new  building  on  the  property  and  the  old  structure  was  torn 
down.  The  following  year,  on  June  16,  1890,  the  present  Madi- 
Fon  Square  Garden  Amphitheatre  was  opened  with  Johann  Straus' 
Orchestra  as  the  attraction  and  under  the  management  of  Henry 
French. 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        51 

The  building  now  occupies  about  two-thirds  of  the  block  be- 
tween Madison  and  Fourth  avenues,  overlooking  Madison  Square. 
In  the  south  end  a  concert  hall  was  built  with  a  seating  capacity 
of  1,0C0,  while  in  the  northwest  corner  is  located  the  Garden 
Theatre.  A  tower,  topped  by  a  winged  Mercury,  extends  some 
ten  stories  above  the  southwest  corner  of  the  structure.  The 
theatre,  though  it  has  had  anything  but  a  successful  record  of  late 
years,  is  to-day  a  well  equipped  house,  with  a  seating  capacity  of 
1,000      Cf  late  it  has  been  devoted  to  moving  pictures. 

The  rrsin  portion  of  Madison  Square  Garden  has  been  devoted 
to  exhibitions,  circuses  and  horse  shows.  One  of  the  most  popu- 
lar summer  gardens  of  the  city  during  the  last  decade  flour- 
ished for  a  time  en  the  Garden  roof,  but  this  is  a  thing  of  the 
past,  as  the  entire  building  threatens  soon  to  be.  The  last  annual 
horse  show  was  held  here  in  the  fall  of  1911,  and  though  the 
place  was  doomed  at  the  close  of  this  same  year  to  pass  into  the 
ancient  history  of  New  York,  its  life  has  been  extended  for  three 
more  years.  This  arrangement  was  made  possible  by  the  guar- 
antee of  the  Ringling  Brothers'  Circus  (controlling  the  Barnum 
&  Bailey  show),  the  Horse,  Automobile,  and  the  Sportsmen's 
Show  managers  to  pay  expenses  for  that  period. 

On  the  northwest  corner  cf  Broadway  and  Thirty-fifth  street, 

where  the  Herald  Square  Theatre  now  stands,  was  a  place  called 

The  Coliseum,  which  was  opened  January  10,  1874,  and 

1874  flourished  until  the  fall  of  the  following  year.  The 
first  attraction  was  "London  by  Day  and  Paris  by 
Night."  It  was  given  over  to  exhibitions  of  various  kinds,  and 
although  a  successful  enterprise  from  the  point  of  receipts,  the 
property  was  heavily  mortgaged  and  in  the  fall  of  1894  the  build- 
ing was  sold  at  auction. 

The  Park  Theatre,  located  on  Broadway,  between  Twenty-first 

and  Twenty-second  streets,  was  built  for   Dion  Boucicault  at  a 

cost  of  $100,000,  and  opened  April  15,  1874,  with  Wilham 

1874  Stuart  as  manager.  Light  comedy,  farce,  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  and  the  beginning  of  the  combination  of  Robin- 
son and  Crane,  helped  make  its  history.  November,  1876,  Henry 
E.  Abbey  took  over  the  management  of  the  house  and  opened  it 
as  Abbey's  New  Park  Theatre.  October  6,  1882,  the  day  it  was  to 
have  presented  Lilly  Langtry  as  the  attraction,  the  building  was 
demolished  by  fire  and  never  rebuilt. 

Chickering  Hall,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  avenue  and 

Eighteenth  street,  was  opened  November,  1875.    It  was  here  that 

Oscar  Wilde  made  his  bow  to  the  American  public,  and 

1875  that  George  Grossmith  appeared.     In  1893  the  building 
was  altered  for  business  purposes. 


52        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

May  17,  1875,  Central  Park  Garden,  on  Seventh  avenue,  between 
Fifty-eighth  and  Fifty  ninth  streets,  was  opened  with  a  series  of 
concerts.     In  1877  Josh  Hart  became  manager  for  a  few 
1875       months,   though  the  place  was  closed  as  an  entertain- 
ment resort  the  same  year. 
The   Columbia   Opera   House,  located   on  Twelfth  street,  near 
Greenwich,  was  opened  in   1875.       In  January  of  the  following 
year  the  name  was  changed  to  the  American  Alhambra, 
1875      and  later  to  the  Folly  Theatre.    The  building  wt'S  finally 

turned  into  a  livery  stable. 
The  Third  Avenue  Theatre,  located  on  the  east  side  of  Third 
avenue,  between  Thirtieth  and  Thirty-first   streets,  was   opened 
July  26,  1875,  as  a  variety  theatre.    In  1878  its  name  was 
1875       changed  to  Aberle's  American  Theatre,  and  in  September 
of  the  following  year  to  The  American  Theatre.    In  De- 
cember of  this  year  it  was  again  changed  to  Dick  Porter's  Amer- 
ican Theatre.     In  1883  it  was  reconstructed  and  rechristened  The 
Third  Avenue  Theatre,  when  it  was  opened  by  McKee  Rankin. 
Ad  Neuendorff  became  manager  in  1885  and  called  it  the  Apollo 
Theatre.     In    1886    R.    H.   Jacobs   took   charge,   calling   it    R.    H. 
Jacob's  Third  Avenue  Theatre.     In  June,   1895,  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire  and  rebuilt  the   following  year,  when  it  was   opened   as 
The  Sanford  Theatre.    In  1896  it  settled  back  into  the  Third  Ave- 
nue  Theatre   once   more.      February    22,    1909,   Fred   A.    Keeney 
came   into   possession   of  the   lease,   calling   the   house   Keeney's 
Theatre.     Moving  pictures  at  present  form  the  attraction. 

Where  Gimbel  Brothers'  department  store  now  stands,  on  the 
west  side   of   Sixth  avenue,   between  Thirty-second   and   Thirty- 
third  streets,  the  Eagle  Theatre,  built  by  Josh  Hart  and 
1875      ex-Judge   Dowling,  at  a  cost   of  $175,000,  was   opened 
October    18,    1875.     The   next  year  it   was   altered,   and 
February  20,  1878,  under  the  management  of  William  Henderson 
the  name  was  changed   to   The   Standard  Theatre.     August   30, 
1897,  it  was  rechristened  the  Manhattan  Theatre,  and  so  remained 
until  it  was  torn  down  in  1909  to  make  way  for  Gimbel  Brothers' 
store. 


CHAPTER  XL 

FAMOUS  MINSTREL  HOUSE. 

A  famous  house  among  the  records  of  New  York's  amusement 
places  was  the  old  San  Francisco   Minstrel  Hall,  located  in  the 

Gilsey  Building,  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  between 
1875      Twenty-eighth  and  Twenty-ninth  streets.     At  first  the 

hall  was  used  as  a  billiard  room,  but  was  converted  into 
a  theatre  and  opened  September  3,  1875,  as  The  San  Francisco 
Minstrel  Hall — the  San  Francisco  Minstrels  holding  its  boards 
for  a  number  of  years.  Many  were  the  changes  it  knew  in  the 
days  that  followed,  and  managers  ranking  all  the  way  from  Herr- 
man  the  Great  to  Charles  Frohman  took  a  try  at  it,  and  members 
of  the  profession  from  the  black-face  boys  to  Mrs.  Siddon,  and 
Ricnard  Mansfield,  to  say  nothing  of  our  own  dear  Lillian  Rus- 
sell, appeared  under  its  roof.  August  27,  1883,  its  name  was 
changed  to  The  Opera  House,  under  Charles  T.  Hoyt's  manage- 
ment, but  again  in  December  of  the  same  year  J.  H.  Haverly 
came  into  control  and  renamed  it  Haverly's  San  Francisco  Min- 
strel and  Comedy  Theatre.  January  28,  1884,  it  was  called  the 
New  York  Comedy  Theatre,  Gale  and  Spader  managers.  Sep- 
tember 17,  1886,  with  Frank  Siddall  in  the  managerial  role,  it 
was  opened  as  Dockstader's  Minstrel  Hall,  with  Pete  Mack,  Ed- 
win French,  T.  P.  Cronin,  William  Welch,  Barry  Maxwell,  Cool 
Burgess,  Harry  Pepper,  R.  J.  Jose  and  others  among  the  cast. 
Dockstader  continued  management  until  February  25,  1888.  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1890,  it  was  known  as  The  New  Gaiety  Theatre,  John 
H.  Smith  manager.  October  11,  1890,  under  the  direction  of 
Herrman  the  Great  (magician)  it  became  Herrman's  Theatre. 
February  19,  1891,  "All  the  Comforts  of  Home,"  with  William 
Faversham,  Rose  Eytinge,  J.  Bennett,  Charles  A.  Smiley  in  the 
cast,  opened  here  and  ran  for  one  hundred  nights.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1894  the  house,  under  the  management  of  Jennings  Dam- 
erest,  was  called  St.  James'  Hall.  September  2,  1895,  it  became 
The  Gaiety  Theatre,  Alfred  E.  Aarons  manager;  December   14, 

53 


54        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

1896,  The  Savoy,  Lionel  Lawrence  manager;  October  27,  1897, 
The  Jonah  Theatre,  with  Corbet  and  Fitzsimmons  as  the  attrac- 
tion, and  January,  1898,  it  became  Sam  T.  Jack's  Place.  From 
1899  to  1900  it  was  known  as  The  Theatre  Comique,  under  the 
management  of  G.  Weil.  In  1902  the  Shubert  Brothers  took 
over  its  management,  opening  the  house  October  6  as  The  Prin- 
cess Theatre.  The  building  was  finally  turned  into  stores  in 
1907. 

The  London  Theatre,  at  235  Bowery,  was  opened  Thanksgiving 

Day,  1876,  by  Donaldson  and  Webster,  Harry  Miner  manager,  as 

a  variety  house.     Later  it  became  the  home  of  burlesque. 

1876.  July  3,  1909.  it  was  leased  by  James  Curtin  and  turned 
into  a  Yiddish  Theatre.  September  8,  1911,  the  manage- 
ment was  taken  over  by  Michael  Mintz,  who  renamed  it  The 
Lipzen  Theatre,  and  with  his  wife  at  the  head  of  a  company 
offered  a  repertoire  of  Yiddish  plays. 

Bunnell's  Museum,  under  the  management  of  George 
Bunnell,  made  its  appearance  at  103  Bowery  in  the  fall  of  1876. 
A  10  cent  performance  was  given  daily  in  connection  with  the 
museum.  The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1880,  and  this 
same  year  Bunnell  opened  another  place  of  similar  nature  at 
Twenty-ninth  street,  where  ten  performances  were  given  every 
day  in  the  week. 

October   11,    1876,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Broadway  and 

Thirty-fourth  street,  where  The  Colaseum  formerly  stood.  The 

New  York  Aquarium  was   opened.     The  following  year 

1876  a  small  stage  was  erected  in  the  building.  For  a  time 
it  was  the  home  of  circuses,  and  later  a  zoological 
department  was  added  to  the  list  of  attractions.  In  1882  it  be- 
came known  as  The  Criterion  Theatre,  when  it  sheltered  such 
productions  as  "Humpty  Dumpty,"  "Ten  Nights  in  a  Barroom," 
etc.  In  the  fall  of  '82  the  building  was  torn  down  and  a  new 
theatre,  christened  The  New  Park  Theatre,  was  opened  under 
the  management  of  Edward  Knowles  and  Theodore  Moss,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1883.  The  furnishings  were  those  formerly  used  in  the 
Booth  Theatre.  H.  P.  Taylor  followed  as  the  next  manager, 
and  on  December  15,  1884,  Hyde  and  Behman  took  hold  of  it. 
In  1885  Edward  Harrigan  opened  the  house  as  Harrigan's  New 
Park  Theatre.  September  17,  1895,  it  was  opened  as  The  Herald 
Square  Theatre,  a  name  it  bears  to-day.  Many  and  important  in 
the  list  of  theatrical  attractions  have  been  the  productions  given 
under  its  roof.     In  the  early  part  of  the  twentieth  century  the 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        55 

Shubert  Brothers  assumed  control  of  the  theatre,  booking  their 
New  York  attractions  here  until  the  summer  of  1911,  when  the 
house  was  doomed  as  the  home  of  moving  pictures,  with  Marcus 
Loew  looming  on  the  horizon  as  future  manager. 

In  1877  a  variety  house  known  as  Pendy's  Gayety  Theatre  made 

its  appearance  on  the  east  side  of  Third  avenue,  between  125th 

and   126th   streets.     It   was   soon  turned   over   to  Tony 

1877  Pastor  and  known  as  Tony  Pastor's  Theatre,  until  the 
building  was  torn  down  in   1879  and  converted  into  a 

hotel. 

Miner's    Bowery  Theatre,    169    Bowery,   was   built  in    1878   by 

Harry  Miner  and  opened  in   October  of  this  year.      For    more 

than  thirty  years  it  has  been  one   of  the  famous  East 

1878  Side  amusement  resorts.     It  is  chiefly  known  to  fame 
on    account    of    its    questionable    burlesque    productions 

and  its  "amature"  nights. 

The  Brighton  Theatre,  which  opened  August  26,  1878,  was  lo- 
cated at  1239  Broadway,  in  a  building  formerly  known  as  John 
Morrisey's  saloon.     At   first  it  was  devoted  to  variety 

1878  shows  under  the  management  of  J.  W.  Warren  and  John 
Farrington.  The  house  closed  in  a  few  weeks  and 
opened  again  December  31  as  The  Thomas  Opera  House.  In 
January,  1879,  its  name  was  changed  to  The  St.  James  Opera 
House.  It  was  next  called  Woods'  Broadway  Theatre,  George 
Woods  manager  (September,  1879).  November  10,  it  was  re- 
christened  the  Broadway  Opera  House.  March  31,  1880,  the 
house  opened  with  John  A.  McCaulI  and  Charles  E.  Ford  as 
managers  after  it  had  been  remodeled  and  renamed  the  Bijou 
Opera  House.  Owing  to  its  smallness  it  was  never  very  popular 
and  in  the  summer  of  1883  was  torn  down.  In  December  of 
the  same  year  a  modern  house  was  erected  on  the  property,  which 
was  christened  The  Bijou  Theatre,  a  name  it  bears  to-day.  The 
opening  performance  was  an  adaptation  by  Max  Freeman  of 
"Orpheus  and  Furydice,"  R.  E.  J.  Miles  and  W.  B.  Barton  man 
agers.  In  1887  Henry  E.  Dixey  became  half  partner  with  Miles 
and  Barton.  June  11,  1888,  J.  W.  Rosenquest  took  a  hand  in  its 
management.  December  1,  1894,  Rosenquest  turned  his  lease 
over  to  Lederer  and  Canary.  The  house  has  known  many  mana- 
gers and  many  changes  of  policy  in  its  time  and  some  of  the 
most  prominent  actors  of  the  present  day  have  appeared  on  its 
boards,  among  them  Julia  Marlowe,  Nat  Goodwin,  Lillian  Rus- 
sell, Annie  Yeamans,  Lew  Dockstader,  and  Thomas  Q.  Seabrook. 
It  was  here  that  Amelia  Bingham  appeared  iri  "The  Climbers." 
opening  December  17,  1900,  with  a  company  under  her  own  man- 
agement.   The  cast  offering  the  Fitch  play  was  unusually  strong. 


56        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

including  Frank  Worthing.  Robert  Edeson,  John  Flood,  George 
C.  Boniface.  Jr..  Ferdinand  Gottschalk.  J.  B.  Sterling.  Harr}' 
Warwick.  Edward  Mooreland.  H.  Stokes,  Frederick  Wallace, 
Harry  Wallace,  Madge  Carr  Cooke.  Maud  Monroe.  Minnie  Du- 
pree.  Amelia  Irish,  Florence  Lloyd,  Lillian  Eldridge,  Ysobel 
Haskins  and  Amelia  Bingham.  The  present  manager  of  the 
Bijou  is  L.  S.  Sire,  who  has  been  in  charge  of  the  house  some 
ten  years.  It  has  threatened  of  late  to  become  a  permanent 
shelter  for  motion  pictures,  a  form  of  entertainment  that  has 
several  times  been  seen  under  its  roof. 
-  Aberle's  Theatre,  located  on  Eighth  street,  between  Broadway 
and  Fourth  avenue,  was  opened  September  8.  1879,  in  a  building 
remodeled    from    St.    Anne's    Roman    Catholic    Church. 

1879  Jacob  Aberle  managed  the  house,  presenting  a  company 
of  minstrels  the  first  season  that  included  Johnny  Allen, 

Dave  Reid,  Bobby  Newcomb,  J.  M.  Norcross,  Ben  Gilfoil,  and 
Billy  Bryant.  The  theatre  was  closed  for  several  months  in 
1883  and  reopened  as  The  Grand  Central.  In  1884  John  Thomp- 
son became  manager,  calling  it  John  Thompson's  Eighth  Street 
Theatre.  Again  it  was  closed,  this  time  for  two  years,  reopen- 
ing in  September,  1886,  as  a  popular  priced  house,  with  John  F. 
Poole  as  lessee.  Again  in  1886  it  closed  for  eight  months  and 
opened  in  August,  1887,  as  The  Monte  Cristo,  the  admission  being 
ten.  twenty  and  thirty  cents.  February,  18,  1889,  a  series  of  Ger- 
man performances  were  started  here,  but  the  enterprise  failed 
within  a  week,  and  the  following  November  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Comedj'  Theatre.  In  April.  1890,  it  was  known 
as  Kennedy's  Comedy  Theatre.  December.  1890.  it  sheltered 
vaudeville  for  a  time  and  again  in  1894  the  policy  of  the  house 
was  changed  when  it  was  also  renamed  The  Germania  Theatre. 
The  house  finally  closed  in  1902  and  in  January,  1904,  was  torn 
down. 

A  small  place  of  amusement  that  made  its  appearance  in  1880 
was  Vercelli's  Theatre,  located  at  152  East  Forty-second 

1880  street.     In   1882  it  was  also  known  for  a  time  as  The 
Grand  Central,  but  soon  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  Metropolitan  Casino   (present  Broadway  Theatre),  at  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Forty-first  street,  was  built  by  a  cor- 
poration and  opened  May  27,  1880,  though  it  was  not  at 
1880      first  a  success.     It  was  remodeled  and  renamed  the  Na- 
tional  Casino  and  reopened   on   October   10.    1881.  with 
Henry  E.  Abbey  and  E.  G.  Gilmore  as  managers.     June  17.  1882, 
J.    Fred    Zimmerman   took   charge,   calling   it   The    Metropolitan 
Alcazar.     The  house  knew  several  managers,  and  when  in   1883 
S.  M.  Hicky  assumed  directorship,  he  rechristened  it  The  Metro- 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        57 

politan  Skating  Rink.  Five  years  later  the  Broadway  Theatre 
was  erected  on  this  site. 

Miner's   Eighth  Avenue  Theatre,  located  on  the  east  side   of 

Eighth     avenue,    between     Twenty-sixth     and     Twenty-seventh 

streets,  was  erected  by  Henry  Miner  and  Thomas  Canary 

1881  and  opened  as  a  variety  theatre  November  21,  1881.  The 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire  January  1,  1902,  but  was 

rebuilt  and  reopened  in  March,  1903.  Burlesque  attractions  and 
"amateur  nights"  constitute  the  offerings. 

The  first  theatre  to  be  erected  in  the  city  as  the  home  of  the 
Yiddish  Drama  was  the  Oriental  Theatre,  which  made  its  appear- 
ance at  104  Bowery,  in   1882.     At  various  times  it  was 

1882  known  as  The  National  Theatre,  Adler's  Theatre,  The 
Columbia    Theatre,    The    Roumanian,    Nickelodeon    and 

Teatro  Italiano.  The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  April  9, 
1898. 

The  present  Wallack's  Theatre,  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Thirtieth  street,  was  opened  January  4,  1882.  The  building,  cost- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  of  $250,000,  was  considered  the 

1882  last  word  in  theatrical  construction.  The  first  perform- 
ance was  a  revival  of  "The  School  for  Scandal."  No- 
vember 13,  1882,  Lilly  Langtry  appeared  here;  Lester  Wallack's 
first  appearance  under  this  roof  occurred  in  January,  1883,  in  a 
play  called  "Ours."  October  8,  1888,  the  name  of  the  house 
was  changed  to  that  of  Palmer's  Theatre,  Wallack  having  sur- 
rendered his  interests  to  A.  M.  Palmer.  The  former  died  about 
this  date,  after  having  established  a  record  that  will  long  live  in 
the  annals  of  local  history.  Wallack's  was  not  only  a  theatre 
where  the  best  of  the  old  plays  were  given,  but  where  also  the 
best  of  modern  productions  and  modern  actors  were  given  a 
show.  Palmer's  Theatre  opened  with  M.  Coquelin  at  the  head 
of  a  French  company  under  the  direction  of  Henry  Abbey  and 
Maurice  Grau.  December  7,  1896,  Palmer  surrendered  his  lease 
and  the  house  again  became  "Wallack's  Theatre."  About  1900 
the  management  was  taken  over  by  Theodore  Moss,  and  after  his 
death  his  wife  assumed  management.  In  1910  Charles  Burnham 
became  manager  and  still  controls. 

The  Casino,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Broadway  and  Thirty- 
ninth  street,  was  long  heralded  as  The  New  York  Casino  before 
it   was   opened   in   an   unfinished   condition    October   21, 

1882  1882,  with  "The  Queen's  Lace  Handkerchief"  as  the 
attraction.  The  architecture  of  the  building  is  Moorish  in  design, 
with  a  tower  effect  on  the  corner  and  an  entrance  on  Broadway 
and  one  on  Thirty-ninth  street.  Its  seating  capacity  is  1,300. 
Its  managers   have   been  numberous,   but  the  general   order   of 


58        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY* 

offerings  on  its  stage  has  been  in  the  nature  of  light  opera.  It 
was  the  home  of  the  famous  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  attractions,  of 
"Nell  Gwynn,"  "Erminie,"  "Florodora,"  etc.,  and  all  the  promi- 
nent musical  comedy  stars  of  the  present  day  have  appeared  here 
at  various  times. 

The  Temple  Theatre,  now  known  as  Proctor's  Twenty-third 
Street  Theatre,  is  located  in  Twenty-third  street,  between  Sixth 

and    Seventh   avenues,   and   runs   from  Twenty-third  to 
1883      Twenty-fourth  streets.     The  property  was  formerly  used 

as  the  79th  Regiment  Armory.  Manager  Salmi  Morse 
made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  open  the  theatre  with  the  Passion 
Play,  though  it  was  really  opened,  May  21,  1883.  It  was  not  a 
success  as  a  place  of  amusement  and  soon  became  known  as 
The  Twenty-third  Street  Tabernacle.  In  1888  the  old  building 
was  torn  down  and  F.  F.  Proctor  erected  a  new  one  in  its  stead 
which  he  called  Proctor's  Twenty-third  Street  Theatre,  opening 
it  March  5  with  Neil  Burgess  in  "The  County  Fair."  In  1893 
"continuous  performance"  became  the  order  of  the  day.  In 
February,  1907,  it  was  given  over  to  moving  pictures  and  called 
the  Bijou  Dream  for  two  years,  when  once  more  it  became 
Proctor's  Twenty-third  Street  Theatre,  offering  pictures  and  light 
variety. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PRESENT  ENTERTAINMENT  CENTER  ESTABLISHED 

When  the  present  Metropolitan  Opera  House  was  built  in  1883 

on  the  block  extending  from  Thirty-ninth  to  Fortieth  streets,  and 

from  Broadway  to  Seventh  avenue,  there  was  no  longer 

1883  any  doubt  in  the  minds  of  New  Yorkers  concerning  the 
advisability  of  building  amusement  places  as  far  north 
on  Broadway  as  the  neighborhood  of  Forty-second  street.  This 
building,  a  mammoth  structure  of  yellow  brick,  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  3,045,  with  a  stage  80  by  106.  The  first  performance 
given  here,  with  Henry  E.  Abbey  as  manager,  occurred  October 
22,  1883.  "Faust"  was  the  attraction,  with  Sig.  Vianesi  as  musical 
director  and  the  following  cast: 

Marguerite Mme.  Nilsson 

Faust Sig.  Campanini 

Siebel Mme.    Scalchi 

Mefistophele Sig.  Novara 

Valentina Sig.  Del  Pucnte 

Marta Mile.  Lablache 

Abbey  soon  became  heavily  involved  with  Maurice  Grau,  busi- 
ness manager,  and  lost  $300,000  the  first  season.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Damrosch  in  November,  1884,  who  inaugurated  a 
series  of  German  operas.  The  following  season  Edmund  C. 
Stanton  became  manager.  In  1891  Messrs.  Grau  and  Abbey  took 
over  the  management,  which  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Abbey,  after  which  Mr.  Grau  held  sway  alone  for  a  time. 

May  21,  1888,  one  of  the  most  notable  performances  of  the 
period  was  given,  when  "Hamlet"  was  offered  as  a  benefit  to 
John  Lester  Wallack,  with  the  following  cast: 

59 


60        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

Hamlet Edwin  Booth 

Ghost Lawrence  Barrett 

King   Claudius Frank  Mayo 

Polonius John  Gilbert 

Laertes Eben  Plympton 

Horatio John  A.  Lane 

Guildenstern Lawrence  Hanley 

Osrec Charles  Kohler 

Marcellus E.  H.  Vanderfelt 

Bernardo Herbert  Kelcey 

Francisco Frank  Mordaunt 

First  Actor Joseph  Wheelock 

Second  Actor Milnes   Levick 

Priest Harry  Edwards 

Ophelia Helen  Modjeska 

The  Queen Gertrude  Kellogg 

Rosencranz Charles  B.  Hanf ord 

First  Gravedigger Joseph  Jefferson 

Second  Gravedigger W.  J.  Florence 

The  Player  Queen Rose  Coghlan 

In  1902  Grau  retired  on  account  of  ill  health  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Henrich  Conreid,  vho,  though  he  had  inherited  a  well 
organized  machine,  found  himself  face  to  face  with  an  operatic 
war,  Oscar  Hammerstein  about  this  time  having  entered  the  field. 
In  April,  1908,  Mr.  Conreid's  health  failed,  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion as  manager,  and  the  Metropolitan  next  came  under  the 
directorship  of  Otto  Kahn,  who  appointed  M.  Gatti-Casazza  gen- 
eral manager.  This  combination  exists  to-day,  representing  one 
of  the  strongest  operatic  organizations  in  the  world. 

Eden  Musee,  on  the  north  side  of  Twenty-third  street,  midway 
between  Fifth  and  Sixth  avenues,  was  opened  March  29, 

1884  1884,  for  the  purpose  of  a  wax-work  exhibition.  It  still 
remains  one  of  the  famous  places  of  this  kind  anywhere 

in  the  country. 

On  property  now  covered  by  a  portion  of  the   Metropolitan 
Building,  on  the  west  side  of  Fourth  avenue,  between  Twenty- 
third  and  Twenty-fourth  streets,  the  Lyceum  Theatre  was 

1885  erected  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  It  was  leased  for  a  period 
of  ten  years  by   Steele  Mackaye  and   Daniel  Frohman, 

who  originally  intended  it  for  The  Lyceum  School  of  Acting.  It 
was  opened  April  6,  1885.  One  of  the  innovations  of  the  house 
was  that  the  orchestra  was  hidden  from  the  view  of  the  audience 
until  the  rise  of  the  curtain,  when  it  was  hoisted  on  an  elevator 
into  the   flies.     This   arrangement,  however,  lasted   but  a   short 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        61 

tkne.  Frohman  soon  became  the  sole  manager  of  the  house, 
which  in  1892  was  torn  down  to  make  way  for  the  imposing 
building  erected  by  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company. 

On  the  site   of  the  former   Elite   Skating   Rink,   on  the   south 

side  of  125th  street,  between  Third  and  Lexington  avenues.  The 

Theatre  Comique,  built  by  Josh  Hart,  was  opened  Octo- 

1885  ber  19,   1885,  with  Fanny  Davenport  and  her  companj;' 
as   the   attraction.     May,    1890,   the   house   was  rechris- 

tened  The  Harlem  Theatre.  In  1893  it  was  totally  destroyed  by 
fire. 

Horticulture  Hall,  which  played  but  a  small  part  in  local  his- 
tory, was  opened  June  8,  1886.     Its  lo'-.ation  was  on  the 

1886  south  side  of  Twenty-eighth  street.     For  a  time  it  was 
known  as  The  Regent,  also  as  the  Fifth  Avenue  Music 

Hall.     It  was  finally  turned  into  baths  by  James  Everard. 

The  Berkley  Theatre,  19  West  Forty-fourth  street,  was  a  small 

up-to-date  house,  opened  February  28.  1888.     For  a  time  it  was 

known  as  the  Berkley  Lyceum,  and  later  as  Mrs.   Os- 

1886  borne's  Playhouse,  when  the  latter  tried  her  hand  as 
manager.  Later,  however,  the  name  was  changed  back 
to  The  Berkley,  which  it  bears  at  the  present  writing.  The  the- 
atre has  never  been  much  of  a  success,  due,  no  doubt,  to  its  loca- 
tion as  much  as  anything  else.  Mr.  Robert  Campbell  is  the 
present  manager. 

The  Broadway  Theatre,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Broadway 

and  Forty-first  street,  which  bears  its  original  name  to-day,  is  a 

fair   type   of   New   York's   modern   theatre   in   the  year 

1888  1911,  although  it  has  served  the  public  for  something 
over  twenty  years.  The  theatre,  a  magnificent  struc- 
ture, seating  over  two  thousand  people,  was  opened  March  3, 
1888,  with  Sardou's  "La  Tosca,"  which  was  given  for  the  first 
time  in  America.  The  last  appearance  of  Edwin  Booth  took 
place  on  this  stage  March  28,  1891,  when  he  appeared  in  "Ham- 
let." It  has  always  been  one  of  the  most  popular  houses  in  the 
city.  Its  present  manager  is  Lew  Fields,  whose  principal  attrac- 
tions it  shelters. 

Another  Harlem  adventure  of  Hammerstein's  was  The  Colum 
bus  Theatre,  located  on   125th  street,  south  side,  between  Lex- 
ington and  Fourth  avenues.     It  was  opened  October  11, 

1890  1890.  The  same  year,  however,  it  closed.  In  August, 
1900,  F.  F.  Proctor  took  over  the  management,  calling 
it  Proctor's  Opera  House  and  125th  Street  Theatre.  September 
4,  1899,  it  reopened  under  the  management  of  H.  C.  Miner,  Jr., 
as  a  vaudeville  house.  August.  1900,  Proctor  again  took  posses- 
sion when  he  called  it  Proctor's  125th  Street  Theatre,  a  name  it 


62        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

bears  at  present.  Stock,  vaudeville  and  pictures  constitute  the 
attractions  offered. 

Harrigan's  Theatre   (now  The  Garrick),  located  on  the  north 

side  of  Thirty-fifth  street,  just  east  of  Sixth  avenue,  was  opened 

December    29,    1890,    with    "Rielly    and    the    Four    Hun- 

1890  dred,"  under  the  management  of  Edward  Harrigan.  For 
a  time  it  housed  such  attractions  as  "Squatter  Sov- 
ereignty," "The  Leather  Patch,"  "Man  Without  a  Country,"  etc. 
In  1895  Richard  Mansfield  took  over  the  management  and  re- 
christened  it  The  Garrick,  a  name  it  still  bears.  It  was  opened 
April  23  with  "Arms  and  the  Man"  as  the  attraction.  Mansfield's 
interest  came  to  an  end  in  1897,  but  during  his  reign  he  succeeded 
in  changing  the  character  of  the  house,  which  has  since  remained 
good.  The  house  is  now  under  the  control  of  Charles  F.  Froh- 
man. 

Carnegie  Lyceum,  an  imposing  structure  located  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Seventh  avenue  and  Fifty-seventh  street,  was  ded- 
icated  to    the   public    May   5,    1891.     It   was   built   by   a 

1891  corporation  at  first  known  as  the  Music  Hall  Company, 
Limited,   of   New  York.     The  building,  which   contains 

several  floors  of  studios,  has  been  devoted  exclusively  to  concert 
and  musical  and  recital  work.  Seating  capacity  of  the  hall  is 
2,800. 

The  Manhattan  Theatre,  Oscar  Hammerstein's  third  attempt  at 

building  playhouses  in  New  York,  was  located  on  the  north  side 

of  Thirty-fourth  street,  between  Broadway  and  Seventh 

1892  avenue,  and  opened  November  14,  1892,  with  Mrs.  Ber- 
nard  Beere    in    her    American    debut,     offering    "Lena 

Despard."  The  house  ran  through  to  Thirty-fifth  street  with 
a  frontage  of  100  feet  and  200  feet  in  depth.  January  24,  1893, 
English  opera  was  produced  here.  In  July  of  this  year  Messrs. 
Koster  and  Bial  became  interested  in  its  career,  stepped  in,  and 
made  a  few  changes  and  renamed  it  Koster  and  Bial's  Music 
Hall,  under  which  name  it  opened  August  28.  It  became  famous 
as  the  home  of  variety,  smoking  and  drinking  being  permitted 
during  the  performances,  and  finally  the  place  got  into  bad  repute 
with  the  city.  The  last  performance  was  given  under  this  roof 
July  21.  1901.  The  fixtures  were  sold  at  auction  the  following 
day  and  later  the  building  was  torn  down  to  make  way  for  Macy's 
department  store. 


CHAPTER  XITI. 

WEBER'S  MUSIC  HALL  ONCE  THE  IMPERIAL. 

The  Imperial  Music  Hall,  which  later  became  famous  as  Weber 

and  Field's  Music   Hall,   still  stands  on  its  original  site  on  the 

northeast  corner  of  Broadway  and  Twenty-ninth  street. 

1892  It  was  opened  by  George  J.  Kraus  as  a  variety  house, 
October  24,  1892,  The  original  entrance  was  on  Twenty- 
ninth  street.  In  1895  the  place  underwent  some  alterations  and 
May  27,  1896,  when  Weber  and  Fields  took  possession  they  made 
additional  improvements  and  opened  up  an  entrance  from  the 
Broadway  side.  September  5,  1895,  the  house  was  officially 
opened  as  Weber  and  Field's  Music  Hall,  where,  surrounded  by 
a  company  including  Charles  J.  Ross,  Sam  Bernard,  John  T. 
Kelly,  Mabel  Fenton,  Yolande  Wallace,  Maude  Gilbert,  Gertie 
Clifton,  Frankie  Bailey.  Florence  Bell,  Josephine  Allen,  Rose  and 
Nellie  Beaumont,  Thomas  J.  Ryan  and  others,  the  two  comedians 
made  a  name  for  themselves  that  stands  near  the  top  of  the  list 
of  American  entertainers  to-day.  Later  they  added  many  promi- 
nent men  and  women  of  the  stage  to  their  company,  including 
De  Wolf  Hopper,  David  Warfield,  Lillian  Russell,  Fay  Temple- 
ton,  Marie  Dressier,  Willie  Collier,  etc.  In  1906  when  Weber 
and  Fields  decided,  for  business  and  professional  reasons,  to  dis- 
solve partnership,  the  affair  became  a  topic  of  national  gossio. 
They  went  their  different  ways.  Fields  branching  out  for  himself, 
while  Weber  retained  the  old  theatre,  which  he  rechristened 
Weber's  Theatre,  where  he  offered  various  attractions  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  the  latter  part  of  1912  the  house  was  turned 
into  a  moving  picture  theatre,  which  form  of  entertainment  it  is 
offering  at  present. 

The   Empire  Theatre,  located   on  the   east  side   of  Broadway 
between  Thirty-ninth  and  Fortieth  streets,  was  built  by  Al  Hay- 
man  and    Frank    Savage.      It    was  leased    by    Charles 

1893  Frohman,  who  still  retains  the  management,  and  opened 
January  25,   1893,  with  "The   Girl  I   Left  Behind   Me," 

63 


64        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

which  ran  for  288  consecutive  performances.  It  is  known  orinci- 
pally  as  the  home  of  John  Drew.  Maude  Adams.  Ethel  Barry- 
more  and  the  Frohman  stars  that  appear  on  Broadway. 

The  American  Theatre,  built  by  Henry  French,  located  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Forty-second  street  and  Eighth  avenue,  was 

opened   May  22.    1893.     It  has    two  entrances,  one    on 
1893       Eighth   avenue,   the   other   on  Forty-second   street,  and 

seats  1,900  people.  The  first  performance  was  "The 
Prodigal  Daughter,"  and  melodrama,  operatic  productions  and 
regular  drama  constituted  the  order  of  attraction  until  French's 
management  ended.  May,  1897.  In  1897  the  property  was  sold 
under  a  foreclosure  mortgage  and  in  October  Elliot  Zborowski  and 
Henry  W.  Savage  became  its  managers.  May  1,  1903,  William 
Morris  took  possession,  offering  high-class  vaudeville.  July  19, 
1909,  an  attractive  garden  with  a  stage,  a  duplicate  of  the  one 
below,  was  opened  on  the  roof.  March  1,  1911,  Marcus  Loew 
took  over  the  management,  offering  motion  pictures  and  vaude- 
ville as  the  attraction. 
The  Chinese  Theatre,  at  5  Doyers  street,  was  opened  March 

25,    1893,   with   a    performance     of  "A    False    Woman," 
1893      under  the  direction  of  Chu  Fong.     March  31,  1897,  the 

place  was  closed  by  the  city  officials  and  two  months 
later  went  out  of  existence. 

Abbey's  Theatre  (present  Knickerbocker),  at  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Thirty-eighth  street,  was  built  by  Henry 

Abbey  and  opened  November  8.  1893,  with  Henry  Irving 

1893  and   his    London   company   in   "Beckett."     It   was  here 
that  Herbert  Beerbohm  Tree  made  his  American  debut. 

In  the  summer  of  1896  Al  Hayman  secured  a  lease  on  the  house 
and  renamed  it  the  Knickerbocker  Theatre,  under  which  name  it 
opened  September  14. 

Next  door  to  the  Harlem   Opera  Housf ,  on  the  north  side  of 

125th  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues,  the  Harlem 

Music  Hall  was  opened  December  17.  1894.  to  a  seating 

1894  capacity  of  1.400.     George  and  Joseph  Lederer  were  the 
lessees,  and  for  a  time  offered  a  light  form  of  entertain- 
ment and  concerts.     November  1,  1897.  Hurtig  and  Seamon  took 
over  the  management  of  the  place,  which  they  still  retain.     Bur- 
lesque is  the  order  of  the  present  day. 

The   Olympia  was  built  by   Oscar   Hammerstein   on  property 

situated  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway,  running  from  Forty-fourth 

to  Forty-fifth  streets,  which  was  originally  used  for  the 

1895  Seventy-first   Armory   Regiment.     Under  the   one   roof 
was  a  large  music  hall,  a  theatre,  intended  for  the  home 

of  comic   opera,  a  roof  garden  and   Oriental   cafe.     The  music 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        65 

hall,  which  contained  128  boxes,  was  arranged  to  seat  2,800  people. 
The  theatre  was  called  The  Lyric,  and  the  first  performance  was 
given  November  25,  1895.  In  June,  1893,  the  entire  building  was 
taken  over,  under  foreclosure  mortgage,  by  the  New  York  Life 
Insurance  Company.  This  same  year  an  entrance  on  Forty- 
fourth  street  was  made  to  the  theatre,  which  opened  April  24, 
1899,  under  the  management  of  George  W.  Lederer.  The  music 
hall  portion  of  the  building  was  renamed  The  New  York  Theatre, 
which  it  remains  to-day.  The  roof  was  long  known  as  the  New 
York  Roof  Garden.  In  1894  it  was  remodeled  and  under  the 
management  of  Flo  Ziegfeld,  Jr.,  became  Ziegfeld's  Follies.  The 
theatre  was  reopened  as  The  Criterion,  August  29,  1899,  with  a 
performance  of  "The  Girl  from  Maxims."  It  still  bears  the 
name  of  The  Criterion.  Charles  F.  Frohman  is  present  manager 
of  the  latter,  while  Messrs.  Klaw  and  Erlanger  control  The  New 
York.  (April  12,  1912,  under  management  of  Florenz  Ziegfeld, 
Jr.,  The  New  York  Theatre  was  opened  as  The  Moulin  Rouge.) 
Proctor's  Pleasure  Palace,  on  the  south  side  of  Fifty-eighth 
street,  between  Lexington  and  Fourth  avenues,  was  built  by  F. 
F.  Proctor  and   opened  September  2,   1895,  for  a  home 

1895  of  vaudeville.     Continuous  performance  has  been  the  or- 
der of  the  day  since  the  opening,  although  in  1901  dra- 
matic  performances  were   introduced   between   the   variety   acts. 
The  house  is  known  at  present  at  Proctor's  Fifty-eighth  Street 
Theatre  and  Bijou  Dream. 

The  Murray  Hill  Theatre,  on  the  east  side  of  Lexington  ave- 
nue, between  Forty-first  and   Forty-second  streets,   was   opened 
October   19,    1896,  under  the  management  of  Frank   B. 

1896  Murtha.     There  are  two  entrances  to  the  building,  one 
on  Forty-second  street  and  the  other  on  Lexington  ave- 
nue.    Since  1904  it  has  sheltered  burlesque  attractions  and  is  at 
present    under    the    management    of    the    Columbia    Amusement 
Company. 

The  Grand  Palace  Theatre,  at  Lexington  avenue  and  Forty- 
third  street,  was  opened  July  2,  1896.     The  big  auditorium,  seat- 
ing 3,000,  was  arranged  as  a  garden  covered  with  a  glass 
1896      roof  that    could   be    switched    on   and    off  to   suit    the 
weather.     In  1910  the  building  was  closed  as  a  place  of 
amusement  and  turned  into  temporary  headquarters  for  the  Grand 
Central  terminal. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MOVING  PICTURE  CRAZE  DEVELOPS. 

OVER  FOUR  HUNDRED  MOVING  PICTURE  THEATRES 
IN  CITY  AT  PRESENT. 

In  the  year   1896   the   moving  picture   craze  began   to  spread 
throughout  New  York  and  small  places  of  entertainment  desig- 
nated as  theatres,  some  of  them  being  little  more  than 

1896  stores  from  which  the  fixtures  had  been  removed  and 
replaced  with  chairs  and  stage,  commenced  to  grow  with 

such  surprising  rapidity  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to 
trace  them.  Some  were  exceedingly  short  lived,  while  others 
have  flourished  and  developed  into  permanent  places  of  amuse- 
ment. From  this  year,  however,  only  the  theatres  recognized 
as  regular  playhouses  and  perhaps  one  or  two  of  the  more  pre- 
tentious motion  picture  and  vaudeville  homes  will  be  recorded. 
There  are  at  present  over  four  hundred  moving  picture  theatres  in 
New  York  City. 

The  Metropolis  Theatre,  located  at  143rd  street  and  Third  ave- 
nue, was  opened  August  30,  1897,  by  Martimer  M.  Theese  with 
a  performance   of  "In  Gay  New  York."     In  August  of 

1897  1898  the  house  was  sold  at  auction  and  opened  October 
3   of  the  same  year  by   Henry  Rosenbergh,  its  present 

owner.  For  a  time  it  was  the  home  known  as  a  combination 
house,  though  Charles  E.  Blaney,  who  took  possession  in  March, 
1911,  is  the  present  lessee,  offering  stock  as  the  attraction. 

The  Dewey  Theatre,  located  on  the  south  side  of  Fourteenth 
street,  opposite  Tammany  Hall,  was  erected  by  Timothy  D.  Sul- 
livan and  opened  September  9,  1898,  with  vaudeville  and 

1898  burlesque.    Timothy  Sullivan  and  George  Kraus  are  still 
its  directors  and  variety  the  form  of  attraction  offered. 

66 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        67 

Hammerstein's  Victoria  Theatre,  at  Seventh  avenue  and  Forty- 
second  street,  was  built  by  Oscar  Hammerstein  and  opened  March 
2,   1899,  with  "The  Reign  of  Terror."     Its  stage  is  one 

1899  of  the  largest  in  the  city.  The  theatre  proper  has  a 
seating  capacity  of  1,200,  with  thirty  boxes.  It  is  looked 
upon  as  the  criterion  vaudeville  house  of  New  York,  vaudeville 
having  been  the  order  of  attraction  from  the  first.  The  roof 
g?.rden,  which  has  been  called  various  names,  is  a  feature  of  the 
summer  months,  when  the  performers  seen  below  during  the 
afternoon  move  to  the  roof  at  night,  where  liquid  refreshments 
pre  served  and  an  open  "farm"  extending  over  the  roof  of  the 
Republic  Theatre  next  door  affords  room  for  cooling  and  circu- 
lating purposes.  Smoking  is  permitted  at  all  times  in  the  theatre 
and  on  the  roof. 

The  first  theatre  of  any  importance  to  be  erected  north  of  Cen- 
tral Park  was  The  Harlem  Opera  House,  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  125th  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  ave- 

1899  nues.  It  was  one  of  Oscar  Hammerstein's  many  ventures 
and  opened  September  30,  1899.     During  the  first  season 

he  lost  $50,000  here,  and  although  Edwin  Booth,  Mme.  Modjeska, 
Julia  Marlowe,  Nat  Goodwin  and  other  prominent  artists  of  the 
day  were  under  its  rcof  it  was  not  a  success.  Hammerstein  next 
installed  a  stock  company  in  the  house  and  finally  the  manage- 
ment was  taken  out  of  his  hands  by  Lichtenstein.  In  1906  Messrs. 
Keith  and  Proctor  stepped  in,  installed  vaudeville  and  stock  and 
renamed  it  Keith  and  Proctor's  Harlem  Opera  House.  August, 
1911,  this  combination  dissolved  partnership,  Keith  remaining  in 
control.  The  house  has  since  been  known  as  B.  F.  Keith's  Har- 
lem Opera  House,  with  stock,  motion  pictures  and  vaudeville 
as  the  order  of  the  day. 

The  present  Savoy  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of  Thirty-fourth 

street,  just  west  of  Broadway,  was  built  by  George  Kraus,  backed 

by  Tim  Sullivan,  and  opened  as  The  Schley  Music  Hall, 

1900  February  26,  1900.     Burlesque  was  the  order  of  attrac- 
tion offered  at  first.     August  of  this  same  year  Alfred 

Aarons  secured  possession  of  the  lease  and  opened  the  house 
October  8,  ^900,  as  The  Savoy  Theatre.  It  was  never  a  great 
success  as  a  home  of  entertainment,  though  perhaps  its  palmiest 
days  were  when  "Nell  Gwynn"  was  played  here  by  Henrietta 
Grossman  in  the  early  part  of  1901.  Hyde  and  Behman  became 
its  next  managers.  March  5,  1901,  Walter  Rosenberg  took  the 
house  and  opened  it  as  a  moving  picture  theatre,  which  it  con- 
tinues to  be. 

Lexington  Park  Opera    House    and  the    Lexington  Assembly 
Rooms  were  opened  in  a  building  on  the  north  side   of  Fifty- 


68        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

eighth  street,   between  Lexington  and  Fourth  avenues, 
1900      extending  through  to  Fifty-ninth   street,  in   the  fall   of 

1900,  as  an  addition  to  Terrace  Garden,  which  had  long 
been  a  popular  gathering  place  for  East-siders.  The  opera  house 
has  been  used  chiefly  for  amateur  affairs  and  the  assembly  rooms 
for  lectures  and  meetings.  The  place  has  never  figured  conspic- 
uously in  New  York's  amusements,  though  in  1911  the  garden 
was  opened  for  a  time  as  a  cabaret  combination  affair,  where 
patrons  could  enjoy  light  opera,  variety,  get  their  dinner  and  a 
ride  home  in  a  taxi  for  the  small  sum  of  one  dollar.  The  plan 
soon  proved  a  failure,  however. 

The  Republic  Theatre,  next  door  to  the  Victoria,  on  the  north 
side  of  Forty-second  street,   was  also  built  by   Oscar  Hammer. 

stein  and  opened  September  27,  1900,  with  the  first  New 

1900  York  production  of  "Sag  Harbor,"  featuring  James  A. 
Hearne.  In  1902  David  Belasco  leased  the  house,  open- 
ing it  September  29  with  Mrs.  Leslie  Carter  in  "Du  Barry,"  when 
the  name  was  changed  to  The  Belasco  Theatre.  September  17, 
1910,  though  still  under  the  Belasco  management,  the  name  was 
again  changed  to  The  Republic,  v/hich  obtains  at  present. 

The    Gotham    Theatre,   165    East    125th  street,    was    built  by 
Messrs.    Sullivan   and   Kraus  in    1901,  and   opened   as   a 

1901  variety  house.     Since  1908  it  has  been  under  the  man- 
agement of  William  Fox,  who  turned  it  into  a  vaudeville 

and  moving  picture  house. 

The  Majestic  Theatre,  located  just  west  of  Seventh  avenue,  on 

Columbus  Circle,  was  opened  in  1902  with  "The  Wizard  of  Oz." 

Although  one  of  the  handsomest  theatres  in  the  city,  it 

1902  was  never  a  great  success,  and  after  several  seasons  of 
Shubert  management,  in  December,   1909,  it  was  taken 

over  by  Marcus  Loew,  who  opened  it  as  a  moving  picture  house. 
October  23,  1911,  under  the  management  of  Frank  McKee,  the 
name  was  changed  to  The  Park  Theatre,  when  it  was  rechristened 
with  a  performance  of  "The  Quaker  Girl." 

The  Yorkville  Theatre,  located  at  Eighty-sixth  street  and  Lex- 
ington avenue,  was  erected  by  "Bimbergh,  the  Button  Man,"  in 
1902,  and  run  for  a  time  as  a  combination  house.     The 
1902       Shuberts  later  had  a  hand  in  its  management  and  Octo- 
ber  1,   1909,  it  was  turned   over  to  Marcus  Loew,  who 
installed  motion  pictures  and  variety  as  the  attraction. 

The  Lyric  Theatre,  located  on  the  north  side  of  Forty-second 

street,  just  west  of  the  Republic,  was  built  under  the  direction  of 

the  Shubert  Brothers,  and  opened  with  Richard  Mans- 

1902       field  the  last  week  in  November.  1902.     It  is  a  modern, 

spacious,  attractive  theatre  that  runs  through  to  Forty- 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        69 

third  street,  and  has  housed,  for  the  most  part,  the  Shubert  at- 
tractions. 
The    Liberty    Theatre,    234    West    Forty-second    street,   was 
opened  in   October,    1903,  with  a  performance   of  "The 
1903       Roger  Brothers  in   Paris."     Under  the  management  of 
Messrs.    Klaw   and  Erlanger,   it    is    one    of   the    leading 
theatres  of  the  Rialto. 

A  Yiddish  theatre,  known  as  the  Grand  Street  Theatre,  made 

its   appearance   at   the   southeast  corner   of   Grand   and    Chrystie 

streets  on  the  site  formerly  occupied  by  Lord  and  Tay- 

1903  lor's  store,  February  4,  1903.  The  house  was  built  by 
Harry  Fishel.  In  December,  1909,  the  Bedford  Theatrical  Com- 
pany became  the  lessees  and  at  present  book  the  Marcus  Loew 
attractions. 

The  Hudson  Theatre,  located  at  139  West  Forty-fourth  street, 

was  built  and  opened  by  Henry  B.  Harris  on  Labor  Day,  1903. 

The  house,  which  is  one  of  the  modern  representative 

190*      theatres  of  the  city,  has  a  seating  capacity  of  1,006  and 

has  sheltered  for  the  most  part  Mr.  Harris'  attractions. 

The  Lyceum  Theatre,  located  at   149  West  Forty  fifth  street, 

was  built  by  Daniel  Frohman  and  opened  November  2,  1903. 

The  Lew  Fields  Theatre,  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Forty- 
second  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues,  midway  of 
the  block,  was  built  by  Oscar  Hammerstein  and  opened 

1904  in  the  fall  of  1904.  The  following  year  it  was  renamed 
the  Hackett  Theatre,  with  the  idea  of  affording  James 

K.  Hackett  a  permanent  New  York  home,  but  the  venture  was 
not  a  success.  August  31,  1911,  after  elaborate  alterations,  under 
the  management  of  Henry  B.  Harris  it  was  opened  with  Rose 
Stahl  in  "Maggie  Pepper,"  bearing  the  name  of  the  Harris 
Theatre.  ,>c'^^^- 

The   Alhambra  Theatre,   on  the   southwest  corner   of   Seventh 
avenue  and  134th  street,  was  taken  over  by  Percy  G.  Williams, 
after  its  orignal  builders  had  become  discouraged,  and 

1905  completed  as  a  home  for  high-class  vaudeville.     It  was 
opened  April    15,   1905,  and  is  perhaps  the   only  vaude- 
ville house  in  the  city  that  caters  to  a  subscription  audience. 

The  West  End  Theatre,  368  West  125th  street,  was  built  in  1905 
under  the  management  of  Joe  Weber.     It  is  modern  in 

1905  every  respect  and  has  from  the  first  housed  dramatic 
productions  booked  principally  by  the  Messrs.  Shubert. 

The  Colonial  Theatre,  located  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway, 

between  Sixty-second  and  Sixty-third  streets,  was  built  by  "Bim- 

berg,  the  Button  Man."     It  was  opened  in  March.  1905, 

1905      under  the  management  of  Thompson,  Dundee  and  Rylcy 


70        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

as  a  combination  house.  A  few  months  later  Percy  G. 
Williams  added  it  to  his  string  of  vaudeville  theatres,  making  it 
one  of  the  most  popular  houses  in  New  York,  which  has  to-day 
a  social  patronage  unlike  that  of  any  other  theatre  offering  the 
same  class  of  attractions. 

The  Circle  Theatre,  located  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  just 
north  of  Columbus  Circle,  was  opened  in  October,  1906,  as  a  pop- 
ular  priced   vaudeville    and    burlesque    house.       "Wine, 
1906      Women    and    Song,"   and    "The    Queen    of   tlie    Moulin 
Rouge"    were    produced    here.      October    18,    1909,    The 
Circle  was  opened  as  a  moving  picture  theatre,  which  it  continues 
to  be. 

The   Hippodrome,   on  the   east  side   of   Sixth  avenue,  running 
from  Forty-third  to  Forty-fourth  streets,  is  the  largest  and  only 
home    of   spectacular    offerings   in    New   York.      It   was 
1906      erected  in  1906  with  John  W.  Gates  backing  the  venture, 
and  opened  under  the   management   of   Thompson   and 
Dundee.    Its  stage  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world  and  equipped 
with  every  modern  device.     A  large  tank  below  the  surface  of 
the  boards  which  is  large  enough  to  float  a  good  size  ship  is  one 
of  the  principal  features.     Some  of  the  most  gorgeous  spectacular 
productions  ever  seen  in  the  city  have  been  staged  here,  intro- 
ducing surprising  electrical  and  mechanical  devices.     In  1909  the 
management   of  the    Hippodrome  was  assumed  by  the   Shubert 
Brothers  in  connection  with   Max   C.  Anderson  of  Cincinnati. 

The  Astor  Theatre,  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Forty-fifth  street,  occupies  the  lower  part  of  a  twelve- 
story  office  building,  and  was  erected  by  the  Long  Acre 
1906       Square  Theatre   Com.pany.     It   was   opened    September 
21,  1906,  with  Annie  Russell  in  "A  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream,"  under  the  management  of  Messrs.  Wagenhals  and  Kem. 
per,  managers  at  the  present  day. 

The    New   Amsterdam   Theatre,    on   the   south   side    of   Forty- 
second  street,  just  west  of  Seventh  avenue,  was  built  by  Messrs. 
Klaw  and  Erlanger  in   1906,  and  the  first  performance 
1906      was  given  there  September  3  of  that  year.    The  theatre 
proper  occupies  the  lower  floors  of  an  immense   office 
building,  on  the  top  of  which  the  New  Amsterdam  Roof  Theatre 
was  later  arranged.     The  stage  on  the  roof  is  an  exact  duplicate 
of  the  one  below  and  attractions  playing  through  from  one  season 
to   another   are   easily   shifted  up   and   down,   according   to   the 
weather. 


o 


CHAPTER  XV. 
ANOTHER  HAMMERSTEIN  VENTURE. 

The   Manhattan   Opera   House,   situated   on  the  north  side  of 

Thirty-fourth    street,    between    Eighth    and    Ninth    avenues,   was 

erected  by  Oscar  Hammerstein  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,000, 

1906  and  opened  December  3,  1905,  with  a  performance  of 
"I  Puritani,"  with  Bonci  in  the  tenor  role-  This  eifort 
was  undoubtedly  Hammerstein's  biggest  achievement,  and  though 
for  several  years  it  was  run  in  opposition  to  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House  as  a  home  of  grand  opera,  it  was  not  a  financial 
success  and  at  the  close  of  the  1909-10  season  Hammerstein  sold 
his  interests  to  the  Metropolitan  Company,  agreeing  not  to  pro- 
duce opera  again  in  New  York.  For  a  time  the  house  sheltered 
vaudeville,  though  recently  dramatic  offerings,  chiefly  those  play- 
ing return  engagements,  have  appeared  here.  A  fact  rather  amus- 
ing in  connection  with  the  building  of  the  Manhattan  Opera 
House  is  that  the  details  of  construction  were  arranged  and  car- 
ried out  by  Mr.  Hammerstein  on  the  steps  and  in  the  lobby  of 
the  Victoria  Theatre,  and  his  office  in  the  new  building  was  really 
the  first  the  impresario  called  his  own. 

The  Lincoln  Square  Theatre,  located  on  the  west  side  of  Broad- 
way, between  Sixty-fifth  and  Sixty-sixth  streets,  was  opened 
October  10,  1906.     For  a  time  Charles  E.  Blaney  man- 

1906  aged  it  as  a  stock  house.     September  6,   1908,  William 
Morris  opened  it  as  a  high-class  vaudeville  theatre.     It 

was  never  much  of  a  success,  however,  and  November  1,  1909, 
was  taken  over  by  Marcus  Loew,  who  has  since  conducted  it 
along  the  lines  of  his  other  houses  in  the  city,  offering  moving 
pictures,  alternated  with  minor  vaudeville. 

The  Belasco-Stuyvesant  Theatre,  on  the  north  side  of  Forty- 
fourth  street,  between  Broadway  and  Sixth  avenue,  was  built  by 
David  Belasco  and  opened  October  16,  1907,  with  David 

1907  Warfield,  presenting  "A  Grand  Army  Man."     The  fol- 
lowing season  Warfield  appeared  here  in  "The  Music 

71 


72        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

Master,"  a  revival  of  a  success  that  will  long  be  remembered  by 
theatregoers  of  the  present  day.  Next  followed  in  succession  "The 
Fighting  Hope"  with  Blanche  Bates.  "The  Easiest  Way"  with 
Frances  Star.  "The  Lily"  and  "The  Return  of  Peter  Grimm,"  an- 
other Warfield  vehicle.  September  17,  1910,  when  the  name  of  the 
Belasco  Theatre  in  Forty-second  street  was  changed  back  to  The 
Republic,  Belasco  renamed  this  theatre  The  Belasco.  This  was 
the  first  theatre  to  be  built  in  an  enclosed  rectangular  court.  It 
is  broad  and  shallow,  seats  about  1,100  persons,  and  allows  each 
a  clear  view  of  the  stage  at  such  close  range  that  opera  glasses 
are  superfluous.  The  decorations  are  artistic  to  the  Belasco  de- 
gree. No  chandeliers  or  brackets  are  visible,  the  lights  being 
enclosed  between  the  roof  and  almost  flat  ground  glass  "globes." 
A  feature  of  the  house  has  been  the  absence  of  an  orchestra 
and  the  unique  manner  in  which  the  rising  of  the  curtain  is  an- 
nounced by  the  sounding  of  a  muffled  gong. 

The    Maxine    Elliott   Theatre,     109    West    Thirty-ninth 
1908      street,  was  built  by  the  Shubert  Brothers,  and  opened 

December  30,  1908,  with  Maxine  Elliott  in  "The  Chap- 
erone." 

The    Gaiety   Theatre,   at   the    northwest   corner    of   Forty-fifth 
street  and   Broadway,   occupies  a  part   of  the  first  floors   of  an 

office  building  which  was  erected  in    1908.     The  house 
1908       seats  but  850  and  is  one  of  the  "mushroom"  variety  so 

much  in  vogue  these  days.  It  was  opened  September 
1,  1908,  with  George  M.  Cohan's  "The  Yankee  Prince,"  and  Mr. 
Cohan,  in  connection  with  Klaw  and  Erlanger,  owns  a  director- 
ship in  its  management.  One  of  the  attractive  features  of  the 
house  is  an  absence  of  pillars,  those  diabolical  view  obstructors, 
and  an  invisible  orchestra. 

The  German  Theatre,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Madison  ave- 
nue and   Fifty-ninth  street,  was  opened    October   1,   1908,   under 

the  direction  of  the  German  Society  of  the  East  Side. 
1908       Its  object  was  to  promote  German  plays,  and  although 

it  started  out  under  auspicious  promise,  it  proved  a  dis- 
mal failure.  Its  interior  arrangement  is  unique  in  the  respect 
that  it  has  no  side  boxes,  but  a  row  of  loges  across  the  rear  cf 
the  auditorium,  which  is  almost  too  small  to  be  designated  as 
such.  April  19,  1909,  after  some  slight  alterations.  William  Mor- 
ris opened  the  house  under  the  name  of  The  Plaza,  offering  high- 
class  vaudeville.  This  venture  also  was  a  failure,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 1  of  the  same  year  its  management  was  assumed  by  Marcus 
Loew,  who  introduced  moving  pictures  and  a  lighter  form  of 
vaudeville.  It  is  now  known  as  Loew's  Fifty-ninth  Street  Plaza 
Theatre. 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        73 

Perhaps  no  theatre  in  New  York  was  ever  heralded  with  greater 
blast  of  trumpet  and  opened  under  more  auspicious  conditions 
than  the  New  Theatre,  Central  Park  West  and  Sixty- 
1909  second  street,  erected  under  the  management  of  the 
Shubert  Brothers  and  backed  by  several  millionaires 
and  the  elite  of  the  metropolis.  The  original  idea  was  to  make 
it  in  time  a  National  Theatre,  to  stimulate  and  foster  art  with  a 
big  A,  produce  plays  and  even  operas  that  were  considered  above 
par,  and  to  maintain  as  a  side  issue  a  school  of  musical  and  dra- 
matic art.  With  a  mighty  flourish  its  doors  were  opened  to  the 
public  November  6,  1909.  There  was  every  reason  to  believe 
that  every  promise  would  be  fulfilled  this  first  night,  due  un- 
doubtedly to  the  fact  that  the  audience  paid  far  more  attention 
to  the  beauties  of  the  house  and  the  gorgeous  display  of  attire 
and  jewels  among  themselves  than  to  the  production  offered. 
The  interior  is  after  the  Italian  Renaissance  and  the  fittings  most 
luxuriant.  The  stage  is  fitted  with  every  modern  mechanical  and 
electrical  appliance.  The  foyer  is  a  dream  of  beauty,  with  marble 
staircases  leading  to  the  balcony  above.  There  are  two  green 
rooms  worthy  of  the  name,  spacious  dressing  rooms  for  the  artists 
and  an  attractive  tea  room  with  facilities  to  serve  tea  to  2,318 
patrons  if  necessary.  The  idea  was  immense,  but  alas,  for  some 
reason  the  New  Theatre  proved  a  sort  of  morgue  and  December 
21,  1911,  after  a  weary  struggle,  it  was  turned  over  to  Liebler 
Brothers,  who  rechristened  it  The  Century  Theatre,  and  have 
proceeded  to  manage  it  along  the  usual  lines,  offering  their  own 
productions.  It  still  remains  a  thing  of  beauty  and  is  looked  upon 
as  a  moderately  successful  house. 

The  Comedy  Theatre,  110  West  Forty-first  street,  was  erected 
under  the  direction  of  the  Shubert  Brothers,  backed  by  a  Wall 
Street  firm  from  whom  they  secured  a  lease,  and  opened 
1909       September    6,    1909,    with    Walter    Whiteside    in    "The 
Melting  Pot."    At  the  time  it  was  built  it  was  the  small- 
est modern  theatre  in  the  city,  having  a  seating  capacity  of  but 
612.     The  second  season  the  name  was  changed  to  the  William 
Collier  Comedy  Theatre. 

The  Bronx  Theatre,  located  at  149th  street  and  Third  avenue, 
was  built  by  Percy  G.  Williams  and  opened  as  a  high-class  vaude- 
ville house  November  1,  1909.     Broadway  can  boast  of 

1909  no  better  theatre,  and  the  attractions  playing  the  Will- 
iams circuit  further  downtown  appear  here  in  turn. 

The  Globe  Theatre,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Broadway  and 

Forty-sixth  street,  fronting  Long  Acre  Square,  was  erected  under 

the  direction  of  Charles  B.  Dillingham,  the  present  man- 

1910  ager,  and  opened  January   10,   1910,  with   Montgomery 


74        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

and  Stone  in  "The  Old  Town."  It  is  a  comfortable,  cozy 
little  place,  built  on  a  fan-shape  plan  that  gives  every  seat  a 
close  view^  of  the  stage.  An  interesting  feature  is  a  movable 
panel  in  the  ceiling  that  may  be  opened  and  closed  to  suit  condi- 
tions of  the  vi^eather. 

Nazimova's  Theatre,  now  known  as  The  Thirty-ninth  Street 

Theatre,    119   West   Thirty-ninth     street,   was    built   by    Shubert 

Brothers  and  opened  April  18,  1910,  with  Nazimova  in 

1910      "Little   Eyolf."     The  following  season,   when   this  star 

went  over  to  the   Frohman   management,  the  name   of 

the  house  was  changed  to  the  Thirty-ninth  Street  Theatre. 

The    National   Theatre,   at   Westchester   and    Bergen   avenues, 
was  built  by   Marcus  Loew  as  a  vaudeville  and  moving  picture 
house,  and  opened  October  17,  1910. 
1910       Loew's  Seventh  Avenue  Theatre,  on  the  northeast  cor- 
ner  of   Seventh  avenue   and    124th   street,  was   built  by 
Marcus    Loew   and   opened   as   a  vaudeville   and   moving   picture 
theatre  October  18,  1910. 

Miner's  Bronx  Theatre,  at  Third  avenue  and  156th  street,  was 
built  by   Henry   C.    Miner,    and     opened  as   a    burlesque    house 
August  22,  1910. 
1910      The    Columbia    Theatre,    on    the    northeast    corner    of 
Seventh    avenue    and    Forty-seventh    street,    occupies    a 
part  of  a  ten-story  office  building.     The  house  was  opened  Jan- 
uary 10,  1910,  and  was  the  first  attempt  to  introduce  present-day 
"burlesque"  to  upper  Broadway.     The  venture,  under  the  man- 
agement of  the   Columbia  Amusement  Company,  has  proven  a 
success. 

The   City  Theatre,   116   East   Fourteenth  street,   was  built  by 

Sullivan  and  Kraus  and  opened  April  18,  1910,  with  Anna  Held  in 

"Miss  Innocence."     The  object  of  this  house  in  the  be- 

1910  ginning    was    to    offer   the    big    Broadway   successes    at 
lower   prices   than   the   uptown    theatres.      December   3, 

1910,  however,  the  policy  was  changed  and  William  Fox  became 
manager,  offering  vaudeville  as  the  attraction.  Later  a  stock 
company  was  installed,  which  met  with  such  success  that  it  has 
since  continued,  offering  a  change  of  bill  each  week.  The  house 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  2,300. 
The  Delancy  Street  Theatre,  at  the  corner  of  Suffolk  and  De- 
lancy  streets,  was  built  by  Marcus  Loew  in  1911.    Being 

1911  in  the  heart  of  the  lower  East  Side  district,  it  is  the  pop- 
ular amusement  resort  of  that  neighborhood. 

The  Playhouse,  a  typical  "mushroom"  theatre,  located  on  the 
north  side  of  Forty-eighth  street,  between  Broadway  and 
Sixth  avenue,    was    built    by  William  Brady  and  opened  April 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        75 

1911      15,  1911,  with  Grace  George  in  "Sauce  for  the  Goose." 

While  small — the  seating  capacity  being  about  900— it  is 

most   attractive    in   decoration    and   the    season     of    1911-12    has 

housed  one  of  New  York's  biggest  successes,  "Bought  and  Paid 

For." 

The  Riverside  Theatre,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Ninety-sixth 

street  and  Broadway,  was  the  first  modern  house  to  be  erected 

as  a  home  for  motion  pictures.     It  was  built  by  William 

1911       Fox  and  opened  December,  1911.     It  is  a  concrete  and 

iron  structure,    equipped    with    every    convenience,  and 

seats  1,829  persons.     Pictures  and  vaudeville  alternate  at  the  two 

performances  given  daily. 

Loew's  Greeley  Square  Theatre,   one  of  the  most  pretentious 

motion  picture  houses  in  the  city,  located  on  the  north- 

1911       west  corner  of  Sixth  avenue  and  Thirtieth  street,  was 

erected  by  Marcus  Loew  and  opened  with  pictures  and 

vaudeville  November  18,  1911. 

The  Winter  Garden,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Broadway  and 

Fiftieth  street,  running  through  to  Seventh  avenue,  was  opened 

by  the  Shubert  Brothers,  March  20,  1911.     The  building 

1911       was   formerly   the    old     New    York     Horse     Exchange. 

High-class  vaudeville,  with  a  thread  of  story  connecting 

the  various  "acts"  has  been  the  offering  from  the  first. 

David  Kessler's  Second  Avenue  Theatre,  at  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Second  avenue  and  Second  street,  was  built  and 
1911       opened   by   David   Kessler  as   a  home   for  the   Yiddish 

drama  September  14,  1911. 
The   George   M.   Cohan   Theatre,  located   on  the   east   side  of 
Broadway,  between  Forty-second  and  Forty-third  streets,  occupy- 
ing the  lower  part  of  a  twelve-story  office  building,  was 
1911       opened  February  13,  1911,  with  "Get  Rich  Quick  Wal- 
lingford."     A  lease  of  twenty  years  has  been  taken  by 
Messrs.  Cohan  and  Harris. 

The    Folies    Bergere,   responsible   for   the   introduction    of   the 
present  cabaret  craze  in  New  York,  was  built  by  Henry  B.  Har- 
ris and   Jesse   Lasky  and   opened   April  26,    1911.     The 
1911       house  was  originally  unique  in  many  respects  and  was 
expected  to  create  something  of  a  stir  in  theatrical  cir- 
cles.   It  did,  to  a  certain  extent,  but  soon  proved  a  dismal  failure. 
The  seating  capacity,  to  begin  with,  was  but  150.     Tables  were 
arranged  about  the  lower  floor  and  balcony  at  which  the  patrons 
were   served  with  dinner   and    liquid    refreshment    while    being 
amused  with  a  performance  for  which  high-priced   entertainers 
were  provided  from  home  and  abroad.     The  affair  was  entirely 
too  expensive  for  the  public  as  well  as  Messrs.  Harris  and  Lasky 


76        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

and  October  20,  1911,  after  being  remodeled  as  a  modern  theatre 
the  name  of  the  house  was  changed  to  The  Fulton  Theatre,  when 
it  opened  with  Robert  Edeson  in  "The  Cave  Man,"  Henry  B. 
Harris  manager. 

The  Little  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of  Forty  fourth  street, 
between  Broadway  and  Eighth  avenue,  was  built  by  Winthrope 

Ames,  under  whose  management  it  was  opened  with  a 
1912      performance  of  "The  Pigeon,"  March  1,  1912.     It  might 

be  called  "The  Littlest  Theatre"  in  New  York,  since  it 
is  the  smallest  regularly  equipped  house  in  the  city,  having  a 
seating  capacity  of  but  299.  All  the  chairs  are  on  the  orchestra 
floor,  there  being  no  balcony  or  boxes.  A  tea  room  and  lounge 
add  to  the  attraction  of  the  house,  which  has  been  extremely 
popular  from  the  first. 

An  important  change  in  the  vaudeville   situation  in  the   East 

took  place  in  July,   1912,  when  the   Percy   G.  Williams 
1912      chain  of  theatres,  including  the  Colonial,  The  Alhambra 

and  The  Bronx,  were  purchased  by  B.  F.  Keith. 
The  Forty-eighth  Street  Theatre,  located  on  the  north  side  of 
Forty-eighth  street,  beween  Broadway  and  Sixth  avenue,  another 

small  playhouse  to  inhabit  the  popular  theatrical  district 
1912       of    Long    Acre    Square,    was    opened    August    12,    1912, 

under  the  direction  of  William  A.  Brady.  "Just  Like 
John,"  a  George  Broadhurst  farce  of  light  variety,  was  the  open- 
ing attraction.  The  house,  which  seats  less  than  1,000  persons, 
resembles  a  fan  in  interior  arrangement.  The  decorations  are 
in  ivory  and  silver,  with  light  grey  hangings  and  upholstery. 
Plays  of  light  texture  will  be  the  offerings  here  for  the  first 
season  at  least. 

The  Eltinge  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of  Forty-second  street, 
between   Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues,  built  by  Al.   H.  Woods, 

was  opened  September  11,  1912,  with  a  performance  of 
1912      "Within  the  Law."     The  exterior  of  the  house,  which 

cost  $200,000,  is  of  an  imposing  and  artistic  design  cov- 
ering a  space  of  80  feet  in  width.  The  entrance  is  thirty  feet 
wide  and  of  a  design  in  harmony  with  the  architectural  beauty 
of  the  building.  The  roof  is  of  red  tiles.  The  interior  is  artistic. 
The  dome  and  sounding  board  contain  Egyptian  paintings.  The 
color  scheme  of  the  auditorium  is  Egyptian  and  the  walls  are  a 
gold  brown.  The  curtain  is  of  gold  plush  and  the  seats  are  a 
pretty  light  blue.      The  capacity  is  1,000. 


The   Little  Theatre 


o 


H 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        77 

Weber  and  Field's  New  Music  Hall,  on  the  south  side  of  Forty- 
fourth    street,    just    west    of    Broadway,    was    officially    opened 
November  21,  1912.    The  house,  erected  under  the  direc- 
i  1912      tion    of   the    Shubert    Brothers,   was   leased   by    Messrs. 

I  Weber  and  Field  with  the  intention  of  making  it  their 

I  permanent  New  York  house.     Save  for  the  fact  that  the  building 

'  and  decorations  are  modern,  it  is  generally  along  the  lines  of  the 

old  Music    Hall  at  Twenty-eighth   street  and   Broadway,   where 
this   team   of   comedians   became   famous.     The   first   attraction, 
^  "Roly  Poly,"  included  the  usual  number  of  pretty  girls,  catchy 

music,   and   an   "all-star"   cast,   including   Frank    Daniels,   Weber 
'^  and    Fields,    Marie    Dressier,    Nora    Bayes,    Bessie    Clayton    and 

others. 

Late  in  December,  1912,  the  Cort  Theatre,  on  West  Forty- 
eighth  street,  was  opened.  This  beautiful  building  is  the  last 
word  in  modern  theatre  construction.  Special  regard  has  been 
paid  to  ventilation,  lighting  and  safety.  Miss  Laurette  Taylor 
in  "Peg  o'  My  Heart"  presented  one  of  the  most  substantial 
successes  of  recent  years. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

RECENT  PROGRESS. 

From  the  beginning  of  1895  up  to  the  season  of  1905  the  the- 
atrical calling,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  America,  struck 
what  might  be  termed  a  successful  "gait."  Nineteen  hundred 
saw  the  neighborhood  of  Broadway  and  Forty-second  street  the 
Rialto  of  New  York's  amusement  sphere  and  the  number  of 
theatres  that  have  since  been  built  in  this  locality,  especially  be- 
tween Thirty-eighth  and  Forty-eighth  streets,  is  little  short  of 
astounding.  Within  this  small  radius  there  have  been  erected 
since  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  in  the  neighborhood 
of  twenty-three  theatres.  At  the  close  of  another  year,  it  is 
predicted,  there  will  flourish  in  Forty-second  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues,  eight  theatres  within  the  block.  It 
is  also  prophesied  by  leading  theatrical  managers  that  within  the 
next  five  years  Fifty-ninth  street  will  be  the  theatrical  center  of 
the  metropolis,  and  judging  from  the  marvelous  strides  made 
within  the  past  five  years,  this  does  not  appear  improbable- 

The  almost  marvelous  growth  of  the  vaudeville  end  of  the 
business  is  illustrated  to-day  by  the  fact  that  all  over  New  York 
are  magnificent  playhouses  devoted  to  variety  whose  existence  is 
scarcely  known  except  to  persons  living  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood. 


TOO  MANY  THEATRES. 

On  every  hand  one  hears  that  the  metropolis  has  too  many  the- 
atres. Undoubtedly  it  has,  but  it  will  have  more.  It  has  come 
to  pass  within  recent  years  that  a  manager  in  order  to  give  his 
productions  a  fair  showing  must  own  or  lease  a  theatre.  Possibly 
there  are  too  many  managers.     The  policy  of  unfair  exactions 

78 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        79 

on  the  part  of. men  who  control  the  old  theatres  has  resulted  in 
the  alleged  over-building  of  playhouses  in  the  city.  Naturally  the 
new  amusement  places  will  drive  out  the  old  ones  sooner  or  later, 
for  as  business  proceeds  uptown  property  becomes  too  valuable 
for  theatrical  purposes. 

In  former  days  a  place  for  the  shelter  of  entertainment  was 
not  sought  that  would  not  seat  two  or  three  thousand  persons; 
to-day  the  "mushroom"  theatre,  seating  about  one  thousand  or 
less,  is  in  order,  and  as  population  is  ever  on  the  increase,  it 
would  seem  that  we  can  give  patronage  to  more  theatres. 


THE  ROOF  GARDEN. 

Twenty-three  years  ago  the  summer  roof  garden  theatre  was 
practically  unknown  in  New  York,  and  the  first  venture  of  this 
kind  was  inaugurated  on  top  of  the  Casino.  It  was  a  little  two- 
by-four  affair,  which  was  considered  more  in  the  light  of  a  novelty 
than  a  serious  enterprise,  though  it  continued  to  run  for  twelve 
or  thirteen  years. 

It  was  Oscar  Hammerstein  who  first  discovered  great  possi- 
bilities along  this  line  and  sixteen  years  ago  he  opened  a  summer 
theatre  on  the  roof  of  the  New  York  Theatre,  which  has  been 
called  at  various  times  the  Wisteria  Garden,  Crystal  Palace,  the 
New  York  Roof  Garden  and  finally  the  Jardin  de  Paris.  Two 
years  later,  after  giving  up  this  venture,  Mr.  Hammerstein  opened 
another  summer  theatre  on  the  roof  of  the  Victoria,  at  Forty- 
second  street  and  Seventh  avenue,  later  enlarging  the  same  by 
taking  over  the  roof  of  the  adjoining  Belasco  Theatre.  The 
first  two  seasons  he  presented  light  musical  comedies  here,  after- 
ward changing  the  policy  of  entertainment  to  permanent  vaude- 
ville. 

The  present  Jardin  de  Paris  was  for  several  seasons,  under  the 
management  of  Klaw  and  Erlanger,  devoted  to  light  comedy  and 
burlesque.  For  the  past  seven  years,  however,  it  has  been  man- 
aged by  Florenz  Ziegfeld,  where  each  summer  he  presents  his 
"Follies."  This  roof,  built  to  accommodate  large  companies  and 
admirably  arranged  as  to  seating  capacity,  was  really  the  begin- 
ning of  the  roof  garden  as  a  serious  institution. 

The  Ariel  Garden,  atop  the  New  Amsterdam  Theatre,  has  been 
in  operation  eight  years  and  during  this  period  has  offered  New 
Yorkers  the  highest  class  legitimate  productions  ever  seen  in  a 
place  of  this  kind.  The  stage  and  auditorium  on  the  roof  is  prac- 
tically the  same  as  that  of  the  theatre  below,  while  back  of  the 


80        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

stage  there  is  an  attractive  promenade  laid  out  among  flowers 
and  fens,  with  tables  scattered  here  and  there  for  the  purpose 
of  serving  the  patrons  with  refreshments  during  intermissions  in 
the  programme. 

For  ten  years  Madison  Square  Roof  Garden  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  summer  amusement  places  in  the  city.  It  was 
entirely  an  open  air  affair,  especially  favored  by  the  moon-gazer, 
who  could  sit  at  a  table,  order  what  he  liked  to  refresh  the  inner 
man  and  enjoy  a  good  performance  of  light  comedy.  But  this 
garden  has  recently  been  discontinued. 

The  roof  garden  has  proven  a  great  innovation  for  the  amuse- 
ment-seeking public  during  the  summer  months,  and  also  offers 
employment  to  many  of  the  profession  who  formerly  were  com- 
pelled to  "lay  off"  for  several  months  during  the  summer. 


SUMMER  "LOT  SHOWS." 

The  summer  garden  has  become  a  favorite  form  of  amusement 
within  very  recent  years  and  to-day  on  upper  Broadway  many 
vacant  lots  have  been  transformed  into  retreats  where  refresh- 
ments are  served,  with  a  concert  or  moving  pictures  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  guests.  Where  there  is  no  restaurant  or  cafe 
annex  the  small  admission  fee  charged  is  still  sufficient  to  pay 
the  taxes  on  the  property  and  make  a  handsome  profit  for  the 
amusement  promoter. 

Fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago  there  was  any  number  of  old  man- 
sions in  Manhattan  which  were  given  over  to  restaurant  pur- 
poses. Persons  living  uptown  could  find  a  summer  garden  with 
tables  under  the  trees  in  a  very  few  minutes'  walk.  But  when 
these  ancient  dwellings  were  torn  down  to  make  room  for  great 
apartment  houses  the  summer  oases  in  the  city  almost  entirely 
disappeared. 

Real  estate  interests  have  recently  discovered  that  vacant  lots 
boarded  in  and  lying  idle  are  available  for  an  internal  revenue  as 
well  as  that  which  comes  from  the  billboard  advertising  on  the 
exterior.  Some  of  these  breathing  spaces  are  picturesque  and 
pretentious,  presenting  scenic  views  painted  on  the  outside  and 
inside  of  the  board  fences,  and  although  these  pictures  of  riv^-s 
and  lakes  and  boating  parties  are  somewhat  crude,  they  f'j'-i'-h 
an  illusion  for  a  hot  night. 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        81 

THE  CABARET  SHOW. 

It  has  scarcely  been  a  year  since  the  cabaret  show,  which  has 
since  become  a  seemingly  indispensable  institution  to  the  night 
life  of  New  York,  was  introduced  to  us  by  Henry  B.  Harris  and 
Jesse  Lasky,  when  they  opened  the  Folies  Bergere.  Broadway 
liked  the  word  and  immediately  adopted  it.  and  now  no  first-class 
or  even  second-class  eating  or  drinking  place  is  considered  com- 
plete without  its  added  attraction.  Although  to  the  managers  of 
the  Folies  Bergere  has  been  given  the  credit  of  discovering  this 
form  of  entertainment,  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  ten  years  or  so 
since  cafe  entertainers  were  quite  common  and  well  known  to  the 
class  that  now  patronize  the  cabarets  in  the  various  hotels  and  res- 
taurants along  the  White  Lane.  Although  not  to  be  classed  with 
the  latter-day  entertainments,  they  were  nevertheless  well  patron- 
ized. The  average  salary  paid  a  singer  or  dancer  in  a  restaurant 
or  cafe  ten  years  ago  was  about  twenty-five  dollars,  twice  that 
amount  is  the  lowest  salary  paid  on  Broadway  to-day. 

The  performers  in  the  present-day  cafes  and  restaurants  are, 
for  the  most  part,  recruited  from  the  two  a-day  vaudeville  houses 
just  as  a  good  share  of  the  talent  on  the  variety  stage  has  been 
gleaned  from  the  cafes.  Some  of  the  best  known  acts  in  vaude- 
ville now  present  their  entertainment  at  one  of  the  various  cab- 
arets after  their  regular  act  at  the  theatre  and  dozens  of  vaude- 
ville artists  are  receiving  a  bigger  salary  from  the  cabarets  than 
they  are  from  the  stage.  Artists  widely  known  to  patrons  of 
the  best  vaudeville  houses  were  at  first  inclined  to  consider  this 
new  form  of  entertainment  as  beneath  their  dignity.  But  they 
have  since  found  it  a  profitable  addition  to  their  regular  work. 
No  act  that  can  be  given  in  a  restaurant  is  beyond  the  means  of 
the  big  Broadway  cafes  and  restaurants  if  it  is  deemed  sufficient 
of  a  novelty.  But  this  it  must  be,  or  they  will  have  none  of  it. 
If  it  is  the  actors  can  name  their  own  salary,  for  the  demand  for 
"something  new"  is  eternal  and  ever-increasing,  and  it  is  pre- 
dicted that  the  time  will  soon  arrive  when  almost  any  act  that 
may  be  seen  in  vaudeville  will  not  be  too  pretentious  for  the 
cabaret. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  REVIEW-MINSTRELSY. 

It  was  back  in  the  early  forties  of  the  nineteenth  century  that 
the  craze  for  negro  minstrelsy,  which  was  to  sweep  the  country 
for  many  years  and  mark  an  epoch  in  American  theatricals,  began 
to  take  form.  The  first  record  of  a  company  of  minstrels  appear- 
ing in  New  York  dates  back  to  the  year  1841,  when  Dan  Emmett, 
Frank  Brown,  Dick  Pelham  and  Billy  Whitlock  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  regular  performances,  although  it  is  pretty 
generally  supposed  that  minstrelsy  originated  before  that  period 
in  the  days  when  "Daddy"  Rice,  Tom  Bleakly,  Barney  Burns, 
Eno  Dickinson,  Dick  Pelham,  Frank  Brower  and  John  Diamond 
were  popular  as  individual  imitators  of  the  negro,  giving  special- 
ties in  dancing  and  the  singing  of  such  colored  classics  as  "Coal 
Black  Rose,"  "Jim  Crow,"  "Sittin'  on  a  Rail,"  "Such  a  Getting 
Up  Stairs,"  etc. 

The  individual  minstrel,  however,  can  be  traced  back  further 
than  this;  in  fact,  there  is  a  record  of  one  Mr.  Grawpner  who 
"gave  the  song  of  the  negro  in  character"  in  Boston  in  1799. 
This  first  organized  minstrel  band  which  was  called  the  "Vir- 
ginia Minstrels,"  gave  its  premiere  performance  at  the  Chatham 
Street  Theatre  as  a  benefit  to  Dick  Pelham,  but  their  appearance 
met  with  such  enthusiastic  approval  from  the  public  that  they 
decided  to  appear  again  within  the  week  in  a  benefit  for  John 
Tyron,  then  manager  of  the  Bowery  Theatre.  Their  next  per- 
formance took  place  at  the  Park  Theatre  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Simpson. 

The  second  company  of  minstrels  to  be  seen  in  this  city  was 
known  as  the  "Kentucky  Minstrels,"  presenting  Frank  Lynch,  T. 
G.  Booth,  H.  Mestayer,  etc.  They  afterward  appeared  at  Vaux- 
hall  Garden.  Then  followed  the  "Ring  and  Parker  Minstrels," 
the  "Congo  Melodists"  and  the  original  "Christy  Minstrels."  This 
latter  company,  composed  of  E.  P.  and  George  N.  Christy,  L. 
Durant  and  T.  Vaughn,  made  their  bow  to  New  York  at  Palme's, 

82 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        83 

next  appearing  at  the  Alhambra  near  Prince  street,  and  finally 
taking  up  their  abode  at  Mechanic's  Hall,  where  they  remained 
until  1854. 

In  an  extract  from  an  article  on  minstrelsy  appearing  in  the 
New  York  Clipper  under  date  of  June  24,  1854,  contributed  by 
Charles  White,  a  record  of  minstrel  organizations  up  to  that  date 
is  given.  "During  the  short  time  that  minstrelsy  has  been  in 
operation,"  it  runs,  "a  great  improvement  has  been  made  in  a 
company  known  as  the  'Ethiopian  Serenaders,'  who  succeeded  the 
'Congo  Melodists.'  They  organized  in  Boston,  came  to  New 
York,  and  performed  with  immense  success  at  the  Chatham  The- 
atre. They  consisted  of  Frank  Germon,  M.  Stanwood,  Winne- 
more,  Quinn  and  others.  Soon  after  they  remodeled  their  band 
and  sailed  for  Europe,  with  J.  Dumbolton  as  their  agent.  They 
then  consisted  of  F.  Germon,  G.  Harrington,  M.  Stanwood,  G. 
Pelham  and  W.  White."  This  was  the  company  that  was  so  suc- 
cessful at  Palmo's  Opera  House. 

The  next  company  of  note  which  styled  themselves  the  "Vir- 
ginia Serenaders,"  after  organizing  in  Philadelphia,  appeared  at 
the  Chatham  Street  Theatre,  where  they  met  with  great  success. 
Then  came  "White's  Serenaders"  (1846),  a  company  which  was 
known  in  its  day  to  hold  the  record  of  the  oldest  permanent 
minstrel  organization  in  the  city  of  New  York.  "The  Original 
Campbell  Minstrels"  were  brought  together  in  1847  by  John 
Campbell,  "who  at  that  time  was  the  proprietor  of  a  restaurant, 
corner  of  Bayard  street  and  the  Bowery."  Then  followed  the 
"Sable  Brothers,"  the  "Nightingale  Serenaders,"  "Sanford's  Opera 
Troupe,"  "Slighter's  Empire  Minstrels,"  "Washington  Utopians," 
"Ordv/ay's  Aeolians,"  "Pierce's  Minstrels,"  at  the  Olympic;  "Fel- 
lows' Minstrels,"  "Horn  and  White's  Opera  Troupe,"  "Norris* 
Campbell  Minstrels,"  "George  Christy's  and  Wood's  Minstrels." 
But  the  successors  to  the  original  minstrel  companies  soon  be- 
came too  numerous  to  keep  track  of,  yet  among  the  names  of 
those  who  survived  this  craze  longest  are  -jeorge  Thatcher, 
Primrose  and  West,  and  our  present-day  favorites.  Lew  Dock- 
stader.  Fox  and  Ward,  and  Mclntyre  and  Heath.  The  two  last 
named  teams  have  just  rounded  out  their  respective  partnerships 
of  over  thirty-five  years. 


AMERICAN  BURLESQUE. 

During  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  remarkable 
change  was  taking  place  in  the  American  theatre.  The  day  of 
novelty  had  set  in;  public  taste  no  longer  craved  the  old-time 


84        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

tragic  drama,  and  in  its  stead  was  developing  a  lighter  form  of 
entertainment,  variety  and  burlesque,  while  managers  were  com- 
mencing to  pay  more  attention  to  commercialism  than  to  art. 
At  first  the  American  theatre  had  been  but  the  echo  of  the  Lon- 
don theatre;  now  it  was  beginning  to  advance  ideas  of  its  own, 
and  soon  "American  burlesque"  became  the  result. 

Burlesque  in  America,  though  not  what  was  afterward  known 
as  "American  burlesque,"  dates  back  to  1750,  when  "The  Beg- 
gar's Opera,"  written  in  ridicule  of  the  Italian  musical  drama, 
was  presented  at  the  old  Nassau  Street  Theatre.  The  inspiration, 
however,  to  write  "legitimate  burlesque"  with  almost  everything 
presented  in  serious  drama  as  background  probably  originated  in 
1811  when  John  Poole  offered  his  famous  travesty  on  "Hamlet." 
It  was  during  the  days  of  the  old  Olympic  Theatre,  under  the 
regime  of  William  Mitchell,  and  the  halcyon  days  of  Brougham's 
Lyceum,  that  the  real  American  brand  of  burlesque  came  into 
vogue. 

Mitchell  was  the  creator  of  a  new  school  in  the  theatricals  of 
this  country,  and  some  of  his  earliest  productions  turned  the  tide 
of  public  favor  to  this  style  of  entertainment  when  he  offered 
"Lucy  Did  Lamm  Her  Moor,"  "A  Lad  in  a  Wonderful  Lamp," 
"The  Bohea  Man's  Girl,"  "Buy  It,  Dear,  It's  Made  of  Cashmere" 
("Bayadere,  or  the  Maid  of  Cashmere"),  "Richard  Number 
Three,"  "La  Mosquito,"  etc. 

The  season  of  1867-68  brought  forth  a  better  class  of  burlesque 
than  had  hitherto  been  known  in  New  York  and  naturally  a  bet- 
ter class  of  actors  then  entered  the  field  and  for  many  years 
New  York  went  wild  over  this  class  of  light  amusement.  Many 
famous  comedians  of  the  past  generation  and  a  number  who  are 
entertaining  us  to-day  came  into  prominence  on  the  burlesque 
stage,  among  them  Stuart  Robson,  James  Lewis,  Harry  Beckett, 
William  Florence  George  L.  Fox,  Nat  Goodwin,  Willie  Edouin, 
Mrs.  James  Oak'-^  William  H.  Crane,  Henry  E.  Dixie  and  James 
T.  Powers. 

Joseph  Jeffers-r    also  took  a  fling  at  Am^erican  burlesque. 

One  of  the  bes  emembered  Brougham  productions  is  undoubt- 
edly "Evangeline,"  which  has  been  played  on  the  American  stage 
something  over  5,000  times.  In  this  Eliza  Weathersby  appeared 
as  Gabrielle  and  William  H.  Crane  as  Le  Blanc.  It  was  in  this 
production  also  that  Nat  Goodwin  came  into  prominence,  during 
the  summer  of  1877. 

One  could  not  well  glance  even  lightly  over  the  history  of 
burlesque  without  noting  the  names  of  Harrigan  and  Hart  and 
Charles  T.  Hoyt.  It  was  in  the  early  70's  that  Harrigan  and 
Hart  entered  into  their  memorable  partnership,  producing  a  long 


OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.  85 

list  of  hodge-podge  entertainments  whose  popularity  was  as- 
sured the  instant  they  appeared  with  the  Harrigan  and  Hart 
stamp.  They  were  built  upon  the  shakiest  of  skeleton  frames, 
and  consisted  chiefly  of  pretty  girls  and  much  singing  and 
dancing.  Annie  Yeamans,  "the  grand  old  lady  of  American  bur- 
lesque," was  always  a  principal  attraction  in  these  productions. 

In  the  palmy  days  of  burlesque,  singing  and  dancing  formed  a 
part  of  every  actor's  profession,  and  it  was  not  unusual  (or  con- 
sidered beneath  his  dignity)  to  see  Hamlet  or  Rip  Van  Winkle 
step  for  a  night  into  travesty  parts.  Edwin  Booth  appeared  in 
such  entertainments  as  "Bluebeard"  and  Joseph  Jefferson  as 
Beppo  and  Granby  Grey  to  the  Jenny  Lind  of  Mrs.  John  Wood 
and  his  original  grapevine  twist  is  still  remembered  by  a  few  of 
the  present  generation.  One  of  the  finest  burlesques  ever  seen  in 
New  York  was  when  De  Wolf  Hopper  played  Juliet  to  Marshall 
P.'Wilder's  Romeo. 

Charles  T.  Hoyt,  it  has  been  said,  was  the  direct  successor  to 
minstrelsy,  and  the  forerunner  of  "polite  vaudeville."  His  first 
success  was  "A  Bunch  of  Keys,"  and  until  the  day  of  his  untimely 
death  (1900)  no  less  than  two  of  his  off erings  were  produced  each 
year.  They  could  scarcely  be  called  plays,  for  they  were  little 
more  than  a  list  of  specialties  in  which  lively  comedians,  clever 
■men  and  women,  and  the  usual  pretty  girls  took  part.  The  pass- 
ing of  the  Weber  and  Fields  combination  also  marked  the  passing 
of  high-class  legitimate  burlesque  in  New  York,  though  let  us 
hope  not  for  good,  for  after  all  there  are  worse  forms  of  enter- 
tainment than  this  with  which  to  tempt  a  fickle  public,  and  that 
New  York  is  fickle  in  its  attitude  toward  the  theatre  none  can 
deny. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  CRAZE. 

Within  the  past  fifteen  years  the  moving  picture  business  has 
developed  in  New  York  with  astounding  rapidity,  and  something 
cf  the  extent  of  this  feature  of  entertainment  may  be  gathered 
from  the  fact  that  at  present  there  are  over  four  hundred  moving 
picture  theatres  in  the  city,  and  this  number  is  fast  increasing. 
In  1896  the  exhibition  of  motion  pictures  as  a  means  of  serious 
entertainment  was  first  begun.  About  that  time  small  theatres, 
called  "Nickelodeons,"  began  to  spring  up  in  different  localities. 
Usually  these  "theatres"  were  nothing  more  than  a  store-room, 
from  which  fixtures  had  been  removed  and  replaced  with  a  crude 
stage  and  rows  of  seats.  One  or  two  reels  of  films  ordinarily 
comprised  a  performance,  which  generally  lasted  from  twenty  to 
thirty  minutes.  As  the  public  began  to  show  increasing  interest 
the  "store  show"  gradually  declined  in  popularity,  and  small  the- 
tres,  built  for  the  special  accommodation  of  the  picture  show, 
took  their  place.  At  present  several  of  the  one-time  leading  legit- 
imate homes  of  the  drama  are  given  over  to  this  kind  of  amuse- 
ment, and  many  of  the  leading  picture  theatres  give  a  regular 
afternoon  and  evening  performance,  during  which  variety  acts  are 
introduced  between  the  display  of  films.  The  pictures,  which 
were  at  one  time  used  as  a  feature  at  the  close  of  high-class 
vaudeville  bills,  have  now  become  the  chief  attractions  in  homes 
of  their  own,  where  entertainments  are  given  that  have  become 
universally  popular,  since  they  observe  no  barrier  of  race  and 
appeal  alike  to  old  and  young,  men,  women  and  children. 

New  York  is  the  controlling  film  market  of  the  United  States 
and  the  home  of  the  National  Board  of  Censorship,  which  passes 
upon  practically  every  film  that  is  accepted  in  this  country.  This 
board  is  a  volunteer  organization,  at  the  head  of  which  is  a  gen- 
eral committee  composed  of  one  representative  from  each  of 
ten  social  organizations  which  exist  in  the  city,  such  as  the  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Charities  Organ- 
ization and  the  People's  Institute. 

86 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        87 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  Edward  Muybridge  was  the  orig- 
inator of  the  motion  picture,  and  his  first  experiment  is  said  to 
have  resulted  from  a  wager  made  between  Leland  Stanford,  while 
he  was  Governor  of  California,  and  a  friend,  as  to  whether  a 
running  horse  ever  had  all  four  feet  off  the  ground  at  the  same 
time.  In  order  to  settle  this  bet  the  argument  was  submitted  to 
Muybridge,  who  was  at  that  time  engaged  by  the  government  to 
make  a  photographic  survey  of  California.  He  became  interested 
and  set  out  to  determine  the  exact  movements  of  a  running  horse 
by  taking  a  series  of  photographs.  His  experiment  began  on 
the  track  at  Sacramento  in  1872,  where  he  set  up  a  number  of 
cameras  around  the  track  at  equal  distances  apart.  Small  strings 
were  attached  to  the  shutters,  which  were  broken  by  the  horse 
running  over  them,  the  breaking  of  the  strings  causing  instan- 
taneous photographs  to  be  taken.  Later  on  an  electrical  device 
was  invented  which  opened  and  closed  the  shutters. 

The  task  Muybridge  began  was  a  tedious  one,  but  the  result  set 
him  thinking  and  paved  the  way  for  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
inventions  of  the  age.  Since  then  his  ideas  have  been  improved 
upon  from  year  to  year,  Thomas  A.  Edison  at  length  taking  an 
interest  in  the  matter.  In  1895  a  Frenchman  named  Lumiere  in- 
vented a  cinematograph  which  projected  the  pictures  on  a  screen 
with  the  aid  of  a  magic  lantern,  and  the  next  year  Edison  fol- 
lowed with  his  vitascope,  which  was  a  great  improvement  over 
the  crude  affair  turned  out  by  Lumiere. 

The  period  stretching  from  1872  to  1895  was  devoted  more  to 
the  taking  of  pictures  than  to  the  exhibition  of  same,  but  once 
attention  was  turned  to  the  projecting  machine  ideas  began  to 
sprout  in  every  corner  of  the  globe,  and  by  1898  there  were  some- 
thing like  109  inventions  offered  under  the  names  of  "biograph," 
"cinematograph"  and  numerous  other  "graphs"  and  "grafts." 


SCENARIO  WRITING  A  PROFESSION. 

The  demand  for  this  form  of  amusement  naturally  brought  with 
it  a  demand  for  elaborate  photo-plays.  The  writing  of  scenarios 
has  become  a  recognized  profession  and  men  and  women  of  the 
highest  standard  in  the  theatrical  world,  including  Sarah  Bern- 
hardt and  the  great  Coquelin,  have  engaged  themselves  to  pose 
before  the  camera  for  the  picture  drama.  Photo-players  are 
secured  from  the  legitimate  stage  and  for  their  services  receive 
salaries  that  more  than  repay  them  for  the  absence  of  the  foot- 


88        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

lights'  glare  and  the  applause  of  an  audience.  Numerous  studios 
have  been  built  in  and  around  New  York  in  which  a  company 
of  players  are  maintained,  surrounded  with  every  facility  for  en- 
acting scenes  which  might  occur  anywhere  from  the  north  to  the 
south  pole.  Often  rehearsals  are  required  time  and  again  and 
conducted  as  earnestly  as  though  the  actors  were  preparing  for  a 
Broadway  premiere,  for  while  the  main  features  of  the  picture 
play  are  facial  expression  and  gesture,  often  there  are  words  to 
be  spoken  with  as  much  distinction  of  enunciation  as  though  a 
critical  audience  were  listening. 

Undoubtedly  the  motion  picture  will  be  the  world's  historian 
in  the  future.  It  has  already  become  a  means  of  education  in 
the  public  schools,  and  even  the  churches,  which  for  a  time 
fought  it  vigorously,  are  considering  its  adoption  as  a  channel 
through  which  to  advance  their  work. 


TRAGEDY  AND  THE  "GODS." 

Some  there  are  who  loudly  bewail  the  fact  that  we  have  no 
more  tragic  actors  of  the  old  school;  that  the  world,  and  espe- 
cially America,  does  not  produce  them  to-day.  That  the  old- 
time  tragedian  is  no  more  there  is  scarcely  room  for  doubt,  but 
that  he  could  not  be  produced  again,  should  there  be  a  demand 
for  him.  is  a  matter  of  considerable  doubt.  The  truth  is.  the 
public  doesn't  want  him.  The  once  popular  tragedian  such  as 
Forrest,  Booth,  McCready,  Cooke,  etc.,  made  his  record  in  som- 
ber scenes  of  death;  but  who  wants  to  sit  through  death  scenes 
in  the  Broadway  theatres  of  to-day? 

New  York  wants  comedy,  farce,  variety,  and  will  now  and  then 
accept  a  first-class  drama,  but  it  does  not  want  anything  that  will 
make  us  cry.  Why,  then,  should  an  actor  devote  his  life,  as  the 
tragedian  must  do,  to  a  means  of  entertaining  a  public  that  will 
not  be  entertained  in  this  way?  The  passing  of  the  tragedian  has 
merely  gone  out  with  the  passing  of  melodrama  and  the  passing 
of  the  gallery  gods.  And  the  disappearance  of  the  latter,  by  the 
way,  has  become  a  subject  for  consideration  among  managers 
and  actors,  some  even  laying  the  blame  for  recent  discouraging 
seasons  at  the  door  of  deserting  gallery  patrons. 

"Every  actor,  and  particularly  the  stars  of  the  profession,  loves 
the  gallery  god,"  said  George  W.  Lederer.  "They  have  been 
playing  to  him  for  many  years,  but  now  the  'gods'  are  going 
away — going  to  the  moving  picture  shows — and  the  actor  who 
has  learned  to  look  to  them  for  applause  looks  only  to  empty 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.  89 

seats.  It  is  from  the  gallery  that  applause  begins,  and  with  it 
empty  a  theatre  is  quiet  and  cold.  There  is  many  a  play  whose 
failure  can  be  attributed  to  empty  galleries.  The  gallery  patron 
has  gone  to  the  moving  picture  show,  where  it  is  cheaper." 

And  indeed  the  moving  picture  houses  have  had  effect,  not 
alone  on  the  "legitimate"  drama,  but  in  "polite  vaudeville"  circles 
as  well. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SKETCH  OF  SOME  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  MANAGERS. 

Back  in  the  days  when  "Hazel  Kirk,"  with  Effie  Ellsler  in 
the  stellar  role,  was  the  popular  hit  of  the  day.  Marc  Klaw, 
managing  the  production,  and  Abraham  Erlanger,  traveling  in 
advance,  met  in  a  little  town  far  away  from  Broadway  and 
formed  an  acquaintanceship  which  soon  ripened  into  a  mana- 
gerial partnership  that  has  stood  the  test  of  years. 

When  they  returned  to  New  York  they  bought  out  the  old 
Taylor  Theatrical  Exchange,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  city,  with 
money  they  had  borrowed  for  the  purpose.  Soon  after  this  they 
entered  the  producing  field,  their  first  venture  being  "The  Great 
Metropolis."  About  ten  years  ago  Mr.  Erlanger  originated  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Theatrical  Syndicate,  which  has  grown  to 
be  one  of  the  greatest  powers  in  the  theatrical  world  of  America. 

Mr.  Erlanger  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  began  his 
career  as  an  operaglass  blower  at  the  old  Academy  of  Music  in 
that  city  when  it  was  under  the  management  of  Mr.  John  Ellsler. 
When  this  theatre  passed  out  of  Ellsler's  hands  Mr.  Erlanger  was 
engaged  as  treasurer  by  the  succeeding  manager,  and  this  step 
marked  the  beginning  of  his  eventful  public  career. 

Marc  Klaw  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  began  his  business 
life  as  a  reporter  while  studying  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  and  it  was  through  this  channel  that  he  entered  the  theatri- 
cal world  when  Daniel  Frohman  engaged  him  on  behalf  of  him- 
self and  brother  to  stop  the  piracy  of  some  of  the  Frohman  pro- 
ductions. 

David  Belasco,  the  most  artistic  and  picturesque  producer  of 
the  present  day,  has  won  a  place  for  himself  in  the  theatrical 
world  that  is  unique.  The  opening  of  the  Stuyvesant  Theatre  in 
1907  marked  the  close  of  the  first  twenty-five  years  in  his  career 
as  a  New  York  manager. 

Coming  East  from  California  in  1882,  Mr.  Belasco  took  charge 

90 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        91 

of  Madison  Square  Theatre  as  stage  director  and  stock  dramatist. 
Already  he  had  gained  a  position  for  himself  in  San  Francisco, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  New  York  recognized  in  him  the 
genius  that  has  since  made  him  famous  the  world  over. 

When  a  youth  Mr.  Belasco  started  out  with  the  firm  intention 
of  becoming  an  actor,  and  actually  gave  a  number  of  perform- 
ances in  Shakespearian  plays;  but  for  some  reason  he  later  de- 
cided that  the  field  of  producing  manager  offered  him  more  ad- 
vantages. His  success  since  he  produced  "The  Heart  of  Mary- 
land," followed  with  "Zaza"  and  "The  Music  Master,"  is  a  matter 
of  history  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  public. 

In  a  city  where  public  characters  are  pretty  generally  discussed 
by  the  public,  Charles  Frohman,  one  of  the  best  known  men  in 
the  professional  world,  is  perhaps  the  least  known  among  his 
followers  and  admirers.  Of  a  retiring  disposition,  he  keeps  him- 
self as  much  in  the  background  as  his  busy  life  will  permit  and 
spends  most  of  his  time  while  in  New  York  in  his  offices  in 
the  Empire  Theatre  Building.  During  the  past  fifteen  years  his 
various  business  interests  have  kept  him  as  much  in  England  as 
in  America,  and  in  both  countries  he  is  looked  upon  as  a  leading 
factor  in  the  amusement  world  of  to-day. 

Daniel  Frohman,  like  his  brother,  is  an  exponent  of  what  is 
best  on  the  stage.  For  a  number  of  years  before  coming  to  New 
York  he  was  connected  with  a  Western  newspaper.  He  was 
later  connected  with  the  New  York  Tribune  for  a  period  of  six 
years  after  leaving  the  West,  then  he  became  manager  of  a 
traveling  theatrical  company.  During  the  season  of  1879  he 
secured  control  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  and  Madison  Square  the- 
atres, which  marked  the  serious  beginning  of  his  broad  and  ex- 
tensive managerial  career. 

A  prominent  guiding  genius  in  New  York  theatrical  enterprises 
is  Henry  W.  Savage,  whose  interests  include  musical  comedy, 
dramatic  and  grand  opera  productions.  Some  ten  years  since 
Mr.  Savage  entered  the  theatrical  field,  giving  his  attention  at 
first  to  music,  which  has  always  been  his  favorite  form  of  produc- 
tion. He  first  leased  the  Castle  Square  Theatre  in  Boston  and 
organized  a  company  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  lighter  operas 
in  English;  and  this  venture,  proving  successful,  was  followed  by 
similar  organizations  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  These 
operas  were  popular  from  the  first,  and,  divining  the  public  thirst 
for  musical  comedy,  Mr.  Savage  produced  "King  Dodo,"  "The 
Sultan  of  Sulu,"  "Peggy  from  Paris,"  "The  Prince  of  Pilsen," 
"The  Sho  Gun,"  "The  Yankee  Consul,"  "Woodland,"  "The  Yankee 
Tourist,"  etc. 

While  the  above  were  being  produced  he  also  entered  the  dra- 


92        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

matic  world  by  oflfering  "The  County  Chairman"  and  "The  Col- 
lege Widow,"  after  which  musical  plays  and  comedies  under  his 
direction  followed  in  quick  succession,  the  best  remembered 
among  the  number  being  "The  Student  King,"  "Tom  Jones," 
"The  Love  Cure,"  "The  Merry  Widow,"  "Madame  X."  "Every 
woman,"  "Excuse  Me"  and  "Little  Boy  Blue."  And  aside  from 
these  productions  in  lighter  vein  Mr.  Savage  has  found  time  to 
accomplish  greater  things  by  offering  grand  opera  in  English; 
indeed,  he  has  perhaps  done  more  for  grand  opera  in  English 
than  anyone  else.  This  undertaking  might  well  be  called  his 
hobby,  and  to  him  belongs  the  distinction  of  having  produced  for 
the  first  time  in  English  two  of  Wagner's  remarkable  works  — 
"Parsifal"  and  "Die  Walkuere."  He  has  also  given  us  Verdi's 
"Aida"  and  Puccini's  "Madame  Butterfly"  and  "The  Girl  of  the 
Golden   West." 

Henry  B.  Harris,  who  at  present  controls  the  Hudson,  Harris, 
Fulton  and  Park  (late  Majestic)  theatres  in  New  York,  began  his 
career  as  an  independent  manager  in  1901  when  he  produced 
"Soldiers  of  Fortune,"  with  Robert  Edeson  in  the  stellar  role. 
Previous  to  this  he  was  part  owner  of  a  production  in  which 
May  Irwin  toured  the  States  and  connected  with  the  Frohman- 
Rich  Harris  enterprises,  which  managed  Lily  Langtry  and  Peter 
F.  Dailey.  In  1905  he  became  lessee  and  manager  of  the  Hudson 
Theatre,  which  he  now  owns,  and  in  1905  produced  Charles 
Klein's  "The  Lion  and  the  Mouse,"  which  netted  him  an  inde- 
pendent fortune. 

Mr.  Harris'  ventures  have  been  almost  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion during  the  last  five  or  six  years.  All  have  not  been  success- 
ful, but  instead  of  growing  discouraged  through  occasional  fail- 
ures he  smiled  over  the  successes  he  had  and  tried  again.  Dur- 
ing the  present  season  of  1911-12  he  had  under  his  manage- 
ment the  following  list  of  attractions:  "Maggie  Pepper,"  "The 
Arab,"  "The  Price."  "The  Quaker  Girl,"  "Dolly  Madison."  "The 
Talker,"  "Snobs,"  "The  Wild  Olive,"  "The  Traveling  Salesman," 
"The  Commuters,"  "The  Scarecrow,"  three  companies  presenting 
"The  Country  Boy"  and  "The  Professor's  Wife." 

Mr.  Harris  was  born  in  St.  Louis  December  1,  1856,  and  began 
his  theatrical  career  as  a  programme  boy  at  the  old  Howard 
Athenaeum  in  Boston.  Later  he  was  made  treasurer  of  the  Co- 
lumbia Theatre  there  and  three  years  afterward  became  business 
manager  of  the  same  house.  The  manner  in  which  he  entered  the 
managerial  field  was  somewhat  unexpected  and  sudden.  One  day 
as  he  stood  watching  a  rehearsal  of  "The  Widow  Jones,"  a  play 
in  which  May  Irwin  was  starring  under  the  partial  direction  of 
his  father,  William  Harris,  he  overheard  a  conversation  between 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        03 

his  father  and  a  Mr.  Rice,  in  which  the  latter  said  he  wished  he 
could  get  out  of  the  production  the  money  he  had  put  into  it. 

"Do  you  really  want  to  sell  out?"  asked  young  Harris. 

"I  would  sell  in  a  minute."  responded  Rice,  "if  I  could  get  some 
one  foolish  enough  to  buy." 

The  next  morning  Henry  B.  Harris  approached  Rice  with 
$2,500,  mostly  in  bills  of  small  denomination,  the  result  of  his 
savmgs  from  his  salary  since  the  first  week  he  had  earned  $8. 
The  contract  was  drawn  up  and  signed  making  Mr.  Harris  one- 
third  owner  of  "The  Widow  Jones,"  a  venture  from  which  he 
cleared  $33,000  in  the  two  following  seasons. 

When  George  M.  Cohan  and  Sam  Harris  began  their  theatrical 
partnership  about  eight  years  ago  they  had  but  one  attraction  to 
offer  the  public  and  that  was  "Little  Johnny  Jones."  To-day 
Mr.  Cohan  has  a  theatre  of  his  own  at  Forty-third  street  and 
Broadway,  which  bears  his  name,  and  with  Mr.  Harris  directs 
the  management  of  the  Gaiety,  at  Forty-sixth  street  and  Broad- 
way, and  the  Grand  Opera  House,  in  Twenty-third  street.  Dur- 
ing the  past  eight  years  Mr.  Cohan  has  furnished  the  stage  with 
eight  successful  productions  of  which  he  is  the  author. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Cohan  played  second  violin  for  one  year  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  was  born.  Then  he  came  to  New 
York  and  entered  a  music  publishing  house  as  song  writer,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  had  written  a  number  of  popular  song 
"hits."  He  learned  to  dance  almost  as  soon  as  he  could  walk, 
his  parents,  who  have  long  been  connected  with  the  stage,  being 
his  teachers.  For  a  number  of  years  now  he  has  been  devoting 
most  of  his  time  to  the  writing  of  plays  of  the  typical  Cohan 
variety,  with  breezy  dialogue,  rapid-fire  repartee  and  whirlwind 
songs  and  dances. 

San  Harris  first  came  into  newspaper  prominence  as  manager 
for  Terry  McGovern.  His  first  theatrical  venture  was  in  connec- 
tion with  Al  H.  Woods  and  "Paddy"  Sullivan  when  they  produced 
"The  Bowery  After  Dark"  in  the  days  when  melodrama  was  at 
its  zenith  of  popularity. 

It  is  quite  a  leap  from  "The  Bowery  After  Dark."  a  melodrama 
of  the  most  thrilling  type,  to  "Gypsy  Love."  a  production  border- 
ing upon  grand  opera,  but  this  leap  Al  H.  Woods  has  made  in 
less  than  twenty  years.  Twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Woods  was  a 
Bowery  boy  with  $100  in  his  possession  and  the  title  of  this  play 
in  his  head.  He  and  Sam  Harris  and  "Paddy"  Sullivan  got  to- 
gether and  coaxed  Walter  Moore,  now  of  the  Miner  Lithograph- 
ing Company,  to  help  doctor  up  the  skeleton  of  the  idea  and 
induced  some  of  their  friends  to  invest  $3,500  for  producing  pur- 
poses.   With  Terry  McGovern  in  the  stellar  role  this  great  dra- 


94        OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

matic  undertaking  was  launched.  It  was  a  go  from  the  first  aaS 
the  firm  of  Woods,  Harris  and  Sullivan  continued  to  produce 
melodrama  for  four  years,  when  Mr.  Woods  ventured  forth  alone. 
For  many  years  he  was  known  as  "The  King  of  Melodrama," 
having  produced  over  100  plays  of  the  "thriller"  kind. 

When  melodrama  began  to  decline  Mr.  Woods  looked  to  some- 
thing better.  His  first  dramatic  offering  of  higher  order  was 
Blanche  Walsh  in  "The  Test."  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  most 
energetic  men  in  the  theatrical  world  and  that  he  is  possessed 
of  good  judgment  when  it  comes  to  "feeling  the  public  pulse"  has 
been  proven  by  some  of  his  late  productions,  which  include 
"Madam  Sherry"  ( in  which  Messrs.  Frazee  and  Lederer  were 
also  interested),  "The  Girl  in  the  Taxi,"  "The  Girl  from  Rec- 
tor's," "The  Fascinating  Widow,"  "The  Littlest  Rebel"  and 
"Gypsy  Love." 

Woods,  Frazee  and  Lederer  have  had  joint  interests  in  many 
musical  comedy  productions  that  are  famous  for  the  lavish  way 
in  which  they  were  produced. 

The  firm  of  Lederer  and  Frazee,  aside  from  being  recognized  as 
a  leading  factor  in  New  York  theatrical  circles,  boasts  the  greatest 
"star  commuter"  of  this  State  and  a  manager  who  "was  not 
afraid  to  come  back."  George  W.  Lederer  some  eight  years  ago 
was  manager  of  the  Casino  Theatre.  Business  being  on  the 
decline  about  that  time,  he  one  day  packed  up  his  belongings 
and  left  town  and  for  seven  years  was  not  seen  again  on  Broad- 
way. In  the  meantime  he  went  West  and  finally  settled  in  Chi- 
cago, where  he  soon  became  interested  in  a  number  of  theatrical 
enterprises. 

One  day  he  overheard  several  men  discussing  him.  "Oh,  Led- 
erer is  a  'has  been,' "  one  of  them  remarked.  That  settled  it — 
Lederer  decided  he  would  "show  them,"  and  he  came  back  to  his 
old  stamping  ground,  bringing  with  him  "Madam  Sherry,"  which 
Woods,  Frazee  and  Lederer  produced,  and  here  he  has  since 
remained. 

H.  H.  Frazee  is  a  native  of  Chicago,  and  while  his  principal 
business  office  is  at  145  West  Forty-fifth  street,  he  manages  to 
visit  his  home  town  on  an  average  of  twice  a  week,  and  some- 
times oftener.  These  frequent  "jumps"  have  gained  for  him  the 
title  of  "TJie  Star  Commuter  of  New  York."  Every  alternate 
Sunday  finds  him  leaving  Chicago  on  an  afternoon  train  and 
Monday  noon  finds  him  attending  to  duty  in  his  New  York  office. 

Recently  this  firm  has  purchased  a  lot  in  Forty-second  street, 
the  most  important  theatrical  block  in  the  country,  on  which 
they  will  shortly  build  a  theatre. 

The  concern   of   Liebler  &   Company  has  been  prominent  in 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY.        95 

New  York's  theatrical  sphere  for  the  past  twelve  years,  during 
which  period  it  has  made  several  fortunes  for  the  concern  and 
given  the  public  a  long  list  of  high-class  productions. 

Last  year  this  house  came  into  control  of  the  Century  Theatre 
in  Central  Park  West,  which  was  formerly  known  as  the  New 
Theatre,  and  which  met  with  dismal  failure  last  season.  Their 
first  offering  at  the  Century  was  "The  Garden  of  Allah,"  which 
has  proven  one  of  the  biggest  successes  of  the  season. 

Charles  B.  Dillingham,  before  becoming  identified  with  New 
York  theatricals,  was  at  one  time  a  reporter  on  a  newspaper  out 
West,  and  his  first  venture  in  connection  with  the  theatre  was 
when  he  obtained  a  position  with  a  small  traveling  opera  com- 
pany. Once  having  a  taste  of  this  kind  of  work,  he  decided  he 
liked  it,  and  his  next  move  was  to  come  to  New  York,  where  he 
entered  the  office  of  Charles  Frohman.  A  few  seasons  later  he 
found  himself  an  independent  producer,  ranking  with  the  veterans 
of  the  profession  on  Broadway. 

Florenz  Ziegfeld  is  perhaps  best  known  as  the  man  who  inau- 
gurated "The  Follies  of  1908,  1909,  1910,"  etc.  These  productions, 
while  offering  the  lightest  kind  of  entertainment  (a  string  of 
novel  ideas  woven  about  the  frailest  thread  of  a  story)  have  be- 
come one  of  the  standard  features  of  summer  amusement  in  the 
metropolis,  and  not  alone  this,  but  they  constitute  the  biggest 
"road  shows"  that  are  seen  en  tour. 

While  the  names  of  Weber  and  Fields  have  not  been  connected 
with  their  business  ventures  for  the  past  few  years,  their  names 
will  always  be  connected  in  the  mind  of  the  public,  for  it  was 
when  they  worked  together,  and  especially  during  the  days  of 
the  old  Weber  and  Fields  Music  Hall,  that  they  came  most 
prominently  into  favor. 

In  the  beginning  both  Weber  and  Fields  were  a  couple  of  rough 
and  tumble  circus  clowns,  then  they  developed  into  a  Dutch 
variety  team  and  secured  engagements  in  the  variety  houses  of 
the  country.  Fields  was  always  something  of  a  plunger,  though, 
and  when  it  v/as  suggested  to  him  by  friends  that  he  and  Weber 
com-e  to  New  York  and  start  a  theatre  of  their  own,  his  gambling 
spirit  persuaded  not  only  himself  but  Joe  Weber  to  "take  a 
chance."  Not  sure  that  their  "act"  would  fill  the  bill  alone,  they 
gathered  about  them  a  strong  company,  consisting,  the  first  year, 
of  David  Warfield,  Lillian  Russell,  Fay  Templeton,  William  Col- 
lier, Pete  Dailey,  Charlie  Ross  and  Mabel  Fenton.  Burlesque  of 
the  current  plays  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  their  venture 
met  with  such  success  that  it  was  continued  for  five  years.  About 
eight  years  ago  the  split  came  and  Weber  and  Fields  decided  to 


96        OUR  THEATRES  TO  DAY  AND  YESTERDAY. 

go  their  separate  ways.     Since  this  rupture,  each  has  developed 
into  a  producer  of  considerable  importance. 

Outhned  conspicuously  against  the  horizon  of  the  theatrical 
firmament  stand  the  figures  of  Werba  and  Luescher,  who  have 
recently  joined  the  colony  of  producers.  Although  Mark  A. 
Luescher  and  Louis  Werba  as  individual  managers  have  been 
familiar  characters  in  the  East  for  some  time,  they  only  entered 
into  a  partnership  last  year,  and  the  progress  they  have  since 
made  has  been  cause  for  wonder  among  the  older  men  in  the 
business.  Among  the  successful  productions  they  are  offering 
this  season  are  "The  Spring  Maid,"  "Little  Miss  Fix-It,"  "Ele 
vating  a  Husband"  and  "Miss  Dudelsack."  Besides  these  attrac- 
tions they  have  under  their  management  a  long  list  of  prominent 
stars. 

The  firm  of  Shubert  Brothers,  for  the  past  ten  years,  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  progressive  managers  of  the  me- 
tropolis. Before  coming  to  New  York  they  were  engaged  in 
the  haberdashery  business  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  The  first  theatre 
of  which  they  secured  control  in  this  city  was  the  Herald  Square. 
Since  the  untimely  death  of  Sam  Shubert  in  1905,  the  two  re- 
maining brothers,  Lee  and  Jake,  have  carried  on  the  business  of 
which  he  was  the  leading  spirit  during  his  life. 

Percy  G.  Williams,  who  controls  the  largest  number  of  vaude- 
ville houses  in  Greater  New  York,  obtained  his  first  theatre  at 
Bergen  Beach  less  than  fifteen  years  ago.  To-day  he  owns  the 
following  theatres:  The  Bergen  Beach  (  Brooklyn  ),  the  Orpheum, 
the  Colonial,  the  Alhambra,  the  Greenpoint  (Brooklyn),  the 
selected  an  exceptionally  good  cast  to  interpret  the  various  roles 
Bronx,  ihe  Crescent  (stock)  and  the  Bushwick,  the  two  latter 
located  in  Brooklyn.  Williams  did  not  sell  to  Keith  until  far 
into  1912. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born  in  Baltimore,  but  he  does  not  care  to 
have  the  date  made  public,  preferring  to  keep  people  guessing, 
after  the  manner  of  his  woman  headliners.  At  the  age  of  11, 
however,  he  began  to  take  an  interest  in  the  stage  and  got  to- 
gether a  small  company  of  boys,  who  under  his  direction  gave  a 
performance  of  "Patsy  Bolivar"  in  the  basement  of  an  old  store 
in  Baltimore.  This  proved  such  a  success  that  Williams  was  the 
following  day  requested  by  a  leading  minister  of  the  city  to 
repeat  the  performance  for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  a  request 
with  which  the  young  manager  readily  complied. 

Some  years  later  Mr,  Williams  joined  Colonel  Simms' company 
in  his  native  city,  but  one  day,  suddenly  making  up  his  mind  he 
ftad  rather  be  a  manager  than  an  actor,  he  came  to  Brooklyn^ 


OUR  THEATRES  TO-DAY  AND  YESTERDAY       97 

Shortly  afterward  he  got  control  of  the  Bergen  Beach  Theatre, 
which  gave  him  his  start  on  the  road  to  success. 

Marcus  Loew,  who  entered  the  New  York  theatrical  field  but  a 
few  years  ago  as  a  factor  among  moving  picture  theatres,  to-day 
controls  about  eighty  of  these  houses  in  Greater  New  York  and 
is  slowly  but  surely  creeping  up  on  the  "legitimate"  vaudeville 
houses.  Last  year  Mr.  Loew  took  over  the  American  and  Lin- 
coln Square  theatres,  formerly  controlled  by  William  Morris, 
who  retired  from  the  vaudeville  game  in  the  East.  On  the  18th 
of  November,  this  year,  Mr.  Loew's  latest  playhouse,  the  Greeley 
Square  Theatre,  was  dedicated.  The  building  is  one  of  the  most 
pretentious  moving  pictures  houses  in  the  city  and  was  built  at 
a  cost  of  $1,300,000.  In  all  of  the  houses  under  his  control  the 
prices  range  from  10  to  25  cents  and  the  attractions  offered  be- 
tween the  picture  plays  are  of  very  high  class,  many  of  them 
consisting  of  "acts"  formerly  seen  in  the  first-class  vaudeville 
houses  of  the  country. 

Some  eight  years  ago  William  Fox.  sometimes  called  the 
"pioneer  of  the  10-cent  drama,"  was  employed  at  a  modest  salary 
in  a  Brooklyn  mercantile  house.  By  strict  economy  he  saved  a 
small  sum  and  with  this  small  capital  he  started  the  "10-cent 
drama." 

He  leased  the  Folly  Theatre  in  Brooklyn  (which  had  failed  as 
a  $1.50  house)  and  inaugurated  a  combination  of  vaudeville  and 
moving  picture  acts.  He  gave  his  patrons  six  acts  of  variety  and 
eight  reels  of  moving  pictures  for  ten  cents. 

His  second  venture  was  equally  successful  and  as  his  profits 
increased  he  kept  adding  theatre  after  theatre  to  his  string  until 
to-day  he  is  operating  fifteen,  for  which  he  pays  over  a  million 
dollars  a  year  in  rental  or  taxes. 

On  East  Fourteenth  street,  in  one  city  block,  he  has  four  the- 
atres, two  of  them  being  among  the  largest  in  the  city,  the 
famous  Academy  of  Music  and  the  City  Theatre.  Several  of  his 
playhouses  are  on  Broadway. 


INDEX 

PAGE 

A    Review    82 

Abbey's  New  Park  Theatre   51 

Abbey's  Theatre   64 

Aberle's  American  Theatre    52 

Aberle's  Theatre  56 

Academy  Hall    38 

Academy  of  Minstrels  38 

Academy  of  Music  40 

Actor  Grows  in  Favor  21 

Actors  Not  Popular    14 

Adelphi  Hall  42 

Adler's  Theatre 57 

Alhambra  Theatre   69 

Allemaina  Hall    47 

Amberg  Theatre   43 

American  Alhambra    52 

American   Burlesque    83 

American  Music  Hall   36 

American  Opera  House  25 

American   Theatre    52-64 

Anthony  Street  Theatre 25 

Apollo  Hall  48-50 

Apollo's    Saloon 29 

Apollo  Theatre   52 

Argyle    49 

Art  Union  Rooms 37 

Astor  Place  Opera  House 34 

Astor  Place  Riot   34 

Astor  Theatre    70 

Atlantic    Gardens    41 

B.  F.  Keith's  Harlem  Opera  House 67 

Barnum's,  P.  T.,  Museum  32 

Barnum  and  Van  Ambergh's  Museum 32 

Barnum's  New  Museum   38 

Banvard's  Museum  38-46 

Beekman  Street  Theatre   14 

Before  the  Revolution   17 

Beginning  of  Burlesque    31 

Belasco    72 

Belasco  Theatre    68 

Belasco-Stuyvesant    71 

Berkeley  Lyceum   61 

Berkeley  Theatre    61 

i 


U  INDEX 

taof: 

Bijou    47 

Bijou    Opera    House    55 

Bijou    Dream    58 

Bijou   Theatre    55 

Booth's  Theatre    48 

Bon  Ton  Music  Hall  48 

Bowery   Amphitheatre    29 

Brighton  Theatre   55 

Broadway   Academy    38 

Broadway  Amphitheatre   37 

Broadway   Athenaeum    44 

Broadway  Casino   , 38 

Broadway   Circus    26 

Broadway  Novelty  House   45 

Broadway  Music  Hall  37 

Broadway  Museum  and  Menagerie 38 

Broadway  Opera   House    55 

Broadway  Theatre  36,  37,  41.  44,  46,  61 

Bronx   Theatre    73 

Brougham's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre   45 

Brougham's  Lyceum  Theatre   37 

Bryant's  Minstrel   Hall    47 

Bryant's  Opera  House  45,  48 

Buckley's  Music  Hall  38 

Buckley's  Hall   40 

Bull's  Head  Tavern    27.  41 

Bull's  Head  Theatre   27 

Bunnell's   Museum    54 

Bunnell's  Museum,  No.  2   54 

Bunyan  Hall   46 

Burton's  New  Theatre  36 

Butler's  American  Theatre    34 

Canterbury  Hall    41 

Carlberg's  Baths  49 

Carnegie  Lyceum  62 

Casino    57 

Castle   Garden    33 

Century     73 

Central  Park  Garden  52 

Chappel  Street  Theatre   14 

Charles  T.  White's  Minstrel  Hall  41 

Chase's  Hall   46 

Chatham  Garden  and  Theatre  26 

Chatham  Museum    33 


INDEX  iu 

PAGE 

Chatham  Street  Theatre   32 

Chickering    Hall    51 

Chinese  Rooms    38 

Chinese  Theatre    64 

Christy  and  Wood's  Minstrel  Hall  36 

Circle  Theatre    70 

City  Theatre,  or  Temple  of  Drama 26 

City  Theatre  26,  30,  74 

Coliseum     38,  51 

Colonial     69 

Columbia  Gardens   27 

Columbia  Opera  House   52 

Columbia  Theatre  57,  74 

Columbus  Theatre   61 

Comedy  Theatre   56,  73 

Concert   Hall    33 

Cornucopia     33 

Cort  Theatre    77 

Criterion  Theatre    47,  54 

Criterion   65 

Cruger's  Wharf  Theatre   13 

Crystal  Palace   38 

Daly's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  45 

Daly's  Theatre   44,  46 

Darling's  Opera  House   48 

David  Kessler's  Second  Avenue  Theatre 75 

Delancy  Street  Theatre   74 

Description  of  John  Street  Theatre   15 

Development  of  the  Moving  Picture  Craze 66 

Dewey  Theatre   66 

Dick  Porter's  American  Theatre  52 

Dodworth  Hall    43 

Dockstader's  Minstrel  Hall   53 

Donaldson's  Opera  House   38 

Eagle  Theatre    52 

Early  Trials  of  English  Actors   9 

Eden  Musee    60 

Eighth  Avenue  Opera  House   46 

Eltinge  Theatre  76 

Empire  Theatre    63 

Ending  of  the  First  Century   37 

Eustache's  Theatre    43 

Euterpian  Hall  29 

Father  of  American  Stage   23 


iv  INDEX 

PAGE 

Fellow's  Opera  House  and  Hall  of  Lyrics 36 

Famous  "Daly's"  Once  a  Museum  46 

Fifth  Avenue  Music  Hall  43,  61 

Fifth  Avenue  Opera  House  45 

Fifth  Avenue  Theatre   45,  50 

First  Advance  Agent  12 

First  Managerial  Partnership   18 

First  New  York  Circus  26 

First   Summer  Theatre    25 

First  Theatre  to  be  Lighted  by  Gas 27 

Folies  Bergere   75 

Folly  Theatre 52 

Forty-eighth  Street  Theatre    76 

Fourteenth  Street  Becomes  Popular   40 

Fourteenth  Street  Theatre  46 

F  ox's  Theatre  45 

Franconi's    Hippodrome    39 

Franklin  Museum  29 

Franklin  Theatre    29 

Fulton  Theatre   76 

Gaiety  72 

Gaiety   Theatre    53,  72 

Garden   Theatre    51 

Garrick  Theatre    62 

George  L.  Fox's  Olympic  Theatre 37 

George  M.  Cohan  Theatre   75 

George  Wood's  Theatre    45 

German  Theatre   72 

Germania   Theatre    47,  56 

German  Thalia  Theatre  43 

Gilmore's  Garden   50 

Globe   73 

Globe  Theatre  44,  45 

Gotham    Theatre    68 

Gramercy  Lyceum   48 

Grand   Central    56 

Grand  Central  Hall   43 

Grand  Opera  Hall 47 

Grand  Opera  House   46 

Grand  Palace  Theatre    65 

Grand  Street  Theatre   45,  69 

Greenwich  Theatre   28 

Grove  Theatre    25 

Hackett    69 


INDEX  V 

PAGE 

Hammerstein's  Victoria  Theatre   67 

Harlem  Music  Hall  48,  64 

Harlem  Opera  House  67 

Harlem  Theatre    61 

Harris  Theatre   69 

Harrigan's  New  Park  Theatre   54 

Harrigan's  Theatre    62 

Harry  Miner's  People's  Theatre 42 

Haverly's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre   50 

Haverly's  San  Francisco  Minstrel  and  Comedy  Theatre 53 

Haverly's  Theatre 46 

Haymarket    49 

Heller's  Saloon  Diabolique    41 

Heller's  Theatre   45 

Henry  Wood's  Marble  Hall  42 

Herald  Square  Theatre    54 

Herrman's  Theatre    53 

Hippotheatron    44 

Hippodrome    50,  70 

Hitchcock's  Summer  Garden  42 

Hope  Chapel  38 

Horticulture  Hall 61 

House  of  Many  Names   37 

Hoym's  Theatre    42 

Hoyt's  Theatre    45 

Hudson  Theatre    69 

Imperial  Music  Hall   63 

Irving   Hall    43 

Irving  Place  Theatre  43 

Italian  Opera  House  29 

Jack  Berry's  Opera  House   49 

Jane  English's  Theatre   41 

Jerome  Theatre  43 

John  Street  Theatre   15 

John  Thompson's  Eighth  Street  Theatre  56 

Jonah  Theatre   54 

Keeney's  Theatre   52 

Keith  and  Proctor's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre 50 

Keith  and  Proctor's  Harlem  Opera  House 67 

Keith's  Union  Square  Theatre  49 

Kelly  and  Leon's  Theatre  38 

Kennedy's  Comique  Theatre  56 

Roster  and  Bial's  Concert  Hall  48 

Koster  and  Rial's  Music  Hall 62 


vi  INDEX 

PAOE 

Knickerbocker  Theatre    64 

Lafayette  Theatre  27 

Laura   Kean's  Varieties   41 

Lew  Field's  Theatre   69 

Lexington  Park  Opera  House  and  Assembly  Rooms 67 

Liberty   Theatre    69 

Lma  Edward's  Theatre 38 

Lincoln  Square  Theatre 71 

Lingard's  Theatre  43 

Lipzen  Theatre    54 

Little  Broadway  Theatre 29 

Little   Drury   Theatre    29 

Little  Franklin  Theatre  29 

Little  Theatre    76 

Loew's  American  Theatre    64 

I.oew's  Fifty-ninth  Street  Plaza  Theatre 72 

Loew's  Greeley  Square  Theatre  75 

Loew's  Seventh  Avenue  Theatre    74 

London  Theatre    54 

Lucy  Rushton's  Theatre   44 

Lyceum  Theatre  46,  60,  69 

Lyric     65,  68 

Lyric  Hall   46 

Madison  Square  Garden  and  Amphitheatre 50 

Madison  Square  Theatre  45 

Majestic  Theatre   68 

Manhattan  Opera  House  71 

Manhattan  Theatre 52,  62 

Manners  and  Customs   21 

Mary  Provost's  Theatre    37 

Maxine  Elliott's  Theatre  72 

Maze  Garden    39 

Mechanic's  Hall   34,  47 

Melodeon    38 

Metropolis  Theatre    66 

Metropolitan  Alcazar   56 

Metropolitan  Casino   56 

Metropolitan  Hall   36 

Metropolitan   Opera   House    33,  59 

Metropolitan   Skating  Rink    55 

Metropolitan  Theatre   41 

Miner's  Bowery  Theatre  55 

Miner's  Bronx    74 

Miner's  Eighth  Avenue  Theatre   57 


INDEX  vii 

PAGR 

Miner's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre   50 

Minerva  Rooms    34 

Minnie  Cumming's  Drawing  Room  45 

Minstrelsy     82 

Miss  Mornier's  Dramatic  Saloon  30 

Monte  Cristo  56 

Moulin  Rouge    65 

More  Halls  and  Theatres 36 

Mozart  Hall    38 

Mrs.  Brougham's  Theatre  36 

Mrs.  Osborne's  Playhouse   61 

Mrs.  Wood's  Olympic  Theatre  41 

Mt.  Morris  Theatre  48 

Mt.  Vernon  Summer  Theatre  25 

Murray  Hill  Theatre   65 

Nassau  Street  Theatre  10 

National    Casino    56 

National    Hall    38 

National  Music  Hall  32 

National  Theatre  29,  45,  57,  74 

Nazimova's  Theatre    74 

Newcomb's  Hall  49 

New  Amsterdam  Theatre  and  Roof  70 

New  Bowery    42 

New  Era  of  Development  19 

New  Gaiety  Theatre   53 

New  Metropolitan  Theatre   36 

New  Olympic    41 

New  Olympic  Theatre  26 

New  Park  Theatre  54 

New  Theatre   73 

New  York  Aquarium   54 

New  York  Casino  57 

New  York  Comedy  Theatre   53 

New  York  Opera  House  29 

New  York  Roof  Garden 65 

New  York  Theatre 37,  44,  65 

Niblo's  Garden  27 

Niblo's  Saloon   38 

Nickelodeon  57 

Nixon's  Alhambra  44 

Nixon's  Amphitheatre   44 

Nixon's  Cremonne  Gardens  42 

Novelty  Hall   33 


viii  INDEX 

PAGE 

Numerous  Halls  Spring  Up 33 

Old  Bowery  Theatre  27 

Old  Broadway  Theatre   36 

Old  Drury  Theatre  29 

Old  Stuyvesant  Hall  38 

Olympia    64 

Olympic   41 

Olympic  Theatre    31,  47 

Opera   House    '. 53 

Oriental  Theatre  57 

Over  400  Moving  Picture  Theatres  in  New  York 66 

Palace  Garden 42 

Palace  of  Mirrors  41 

Palmer's  Theatre    57 

Palmo's  Concert   Hall    33 

Palmo's  Opera  House   31 

Pantheon    34 

Parisian  Varieties  45 

Park  Theatre  19,  51,  68 

Pavilion    Theatre    26 

Pendy's  Gayety  Theatre   55 

People's  Opera  House   29 

Period  of  Civil  War 44 

Pete  Morris'  Varieties   42 

Pike's  Music   Hall   47 

Pike's  Opera  House   46 

Pinteaux    34 

Playhouse    74 

Plaza    72 

Princess  Theatre  54 

Proctor's    58 

Proctor's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre    50 

Proctor's  Fifty-eighth  Street  Theatre  and  Bijou  Dream 65 

Proctor's  Opera  House  and  125th  Street  Theatre 61 

Proctor's  Pleasure   Palace    65 

Proctor's  Twenty-third  Street  Theatre  58 

Proctor's  125th  Street  Theatre  61 

Recent  Progress   78 

Regent    61 

Republic  Theatre    68 

R.  H.  Jacob's  Third  Avenue  Theatre 52 

Richmond  Hill  Theatre  28 

Rip  Van  Dam  Playhouse   10 

Riverside  Theatre   75 


INDEX  ix 


Robinson's   Hall    47 

Roumanian   Theatre    57 

Sam  T.  Jack's  Place  54 

San  Francisco  Minstrel  Hall 4L  53 

San  Souci   27 

Sanford  Theatre    52 

Santa  Claus  38 

Savoy   Theatre    54,  67 

Scenario  Writing  a  Profession    87 

Schley  Music  Hall   67 

Scudder's  Museum   25 

Shay's  Opera  House   49 

Sixteenth  Street  Theatre  47 

Sketch  of  Some  of  the  New  York  Managers 90 

St.  Charles  Theatre   38 

St.  James  Hall  53 

St.  James  Opera  House  55 

St.  James  Theatre  49 

St.  James  Theatre  and  Theatre  of  Arts 48 

St.  Nicholas  Hall   41 

Stadt    44 

Standard  Theatre   52 

Star    Theatre    43 

Steinway   Hall    46 

Stetson's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre    50 

Stopanni  Hall 36 

Summer  Lot  Shows   80 

Teatro  Italiano  ' 57 

Teetoller's  Hall   33 

Temple  of  Drama  26 

Temple  of  Music    45 

Temple  Theatre    58 

Terrace  Garden  f 8 

Thalia  Theatre  28 

Thalian  Hall 36 

The  Cabaret  Show  81 

The  First  Theatre   10 

The  Lyceum  Theatre   45 

The  Moving  Picture  Craze    86 

The  Roof  Garden  79 

Theatre  Comique  43.  45,  54.  61 

Theatre  Francais  45.  48 

Theatre  Oriental    43 

Theatres  on  the  Increase  28 


X  INDEX 

PAGE 

Third  Avenue  Theatre   52 

Thirty-fourth  Street  Theatre  49 

Thirty-ninth  Street  Theatre  74 

Thomas  Opera  House   55 

Tivoli  Gardens   28 

Too  Many  Theatres    78 

Tompkin's  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre   56 

Tony  Pastor's  New  Fourteenth  Street  Theatre 47 

Tony  Pastor's  Opera  House  42 

Tony  Pastor's  Theatre  41 

Tony  Pastor's  125th  Street  Theatre  55 

Tragedy  and   the  "Gods" 88 

Trippler's  Hall   36 

Twenty-third   Street  Tabernacle    58 

Twenty-third  Street  Theatre  48 

Union  Concert  Hall   37 

Union  Music  Hall    43 

Union  Square  Theatre   49 

Vauxhall  Garden  25 

Vercelli's  Theatre  56 

Wallack's  Theatre 37,  43,  57 

Washington  Hall    38 

Weber  and  Field's  Music  Hall  63,  77 

Weber  and  Field's  New  Music  Hall 77 

Weber's  Theatre  63 

West  End  Theatre   69 

When  Boxes  Were  Pens  24 

When  Oil  Floats  Were  Used 22 

White's   Melodeon    34 

White's  Opera  House   38,  39 

White's  Varieties    38 

William  Collier's  Comedy  Theatre  73 

Windsor  Theatre    44 

Winter  Garden   33,  75 

Wood's  Broadway  Theatre    55 

Wood's  Minstrel  Hall  43 

Wood's  Museum  and  Metropolitan  Theatre 46 

Wood's  Theatre   Comique    43 

Worrell  Sisters'  Theatre    41,  44 

Worth's  Museum   50 

Yiddish  Theatre    41 

Yorkville  Theatre 68 

Zicgfeld's  Follies 65 


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